Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re-Try
by yuuram2fangirl
Summary: World of C. God. Another chance to fix the mistakes and correct the wrongs. Will two friends/rivals be able to overcome the obstacles in their path to change the future? A time travel fic (No slash)
1. Chapter 1

**Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re-Try**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** This is a request from nahte123456. She wanted a time travel story that has one small difference from the ones around the site. And this is it. Since this is my first time writing a time travel fic, it is a bit OOC for now. Once I get into the flow of writing, the chapters will get better. Please read and review!**

**Chapter 1: World of C**

It was a bright day. There was a layer of peace and tranquility over Pendragon. People went about with their daily business. It had been nearly a month since the Demon Emperor had died and the relief was still present. The Imperial Palace stood majestically under the sun.

Suza- No, _Zero _marched down the long hallway with evenly placed steps towards Her highnesses office. It had only been a week since she had officially taken over the throne and there were already several reforms in place. She worked all day, signing documents, meeting with other leaders; she barely took a break. But Zero knew- and he was the only one who did- that every night when she retreated to her bed chambers, she cried bitterly.

He knew it because he himself often leaned against the door of her room- taking solace in her sobs and letting out a few tears of his own.

He had thought that Lelouch's death would bring him peace. But he had been wrong. Like always. Instead of relief, he just felt a dull throb in his chest as he added another person he cared about to the list of people who he had lost to death. Lelouch was his best friend- his brother in all but blood. Despite everything Suzaku Kururugi had done, Lelouch had always forgiven him.

Zero stood in front of the Empress Office and stared at the heavy wooden door. He knew what he would see in there. His hand felt heavy as he lifted it up to knock.

"Come in."

As he entered, his eyes took in the sight of Nunnally vi Britannia, 100th Empress of the Holy Empire of Britannia sitting on her mechanical wheelchair behind her desk, signing some documents.

His guess had been right.

"Zero" Her voice was soft yet held a kind of monotony in it that hadn't been present before. It stabbed Suzaku. Zero merely executed a half bow in courtesy. "Your Highness"

He silently stood beside her.

"I have to address the people today right?" She asked her voice trembling bit.

Zero paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, Your Highness."

Zero noticed the way her fingers tightened over the pen that she was holding. He knew that she had started to unconsciously resent the people for what had happened to Lelouch. She had subconsciously blamed them for her brother's death.

(Suzaku would've never noticed these things. But Zero did)

"I think it's time to go Your Highness." He said instead, as he clutched the hands of her wheelchair.

It was time to go and face the people Lelouch had died for.

* * *

The crowd was astounding. They had all come to hear what the new empress had to say. The stadium they were in was one of the biggest in Pendragon. It reminded Suzaku a bit of the stadium where the disastrous SAZ massacre had taken place. There were only a few guards other than him and Nunnally present on the stage. Nunnally had herself specifically demanded that no Knightmare frames be kept towards the front of the stage. Zero had not protested.

(Because he knew that she was trying her hardest to uphold the peace that Lelouch's death had bought)

"People of Britannia." Immediately a hush fell over the stadium. "Britannia has always been known as one of the most ruthless nations to ever exist. A nation that always looks down at the weak, a nation who doesn't care about the suffering of people. And that was what Britannia was. A cold ruthless nation. A nation hungry for power. From the Emperors who founded Britannia to the Dem- the 99th Emperor, they neither cared about the will nor the freedom of the people."

Despite her small frame and the fact that she was sitting on a wheel chair, she held her head high with confidence as she addressed the people. Her voice didn't waver and Suzaku knew that wherever Lelouch was, he would be proud of his little sister. Zero noticed the way she had broken off in the middle of calling her predecessor the Demon Emperor.

"But it's time for Britannia to change. Britannia will no longer be known for its ways of warfare. Britannia will rise up and change. Changes have already started to take place. Britannia is now an UFN member and has given up all its military power. The land conquered by Britannia bas been returned back to its people. Britannia will never again descend back to those ages of dwarfism and war. Britannia will stand strong with other nations rather than above them."

She looked around once. "And with this I would like to conclude."

The people gathered were all silent. Zero spotted camera's rolling from the ends of the stadium and knew that the Black Knights in Japan would also be viewing this programme. But things never went that smoothly.

"Why should we believe you?" The man wouldn't even have been heard in the crowd if he hadn't been near the stage. Suzaku narrowed his eyes at him.

"Excuse me?" Nunnally asked.

"You are his sister aren't you? The sister of the Demon Emperor." Another man beside the first man spoke up. "He was the most ruthless Emperor of them all. He even called himself the Emperor of the world. And you are a direct relative of him." The implication in his tone and words were clear. There was a light mummer of agreement from the crowd.

Zero considered stepping in to diffuse the situation. After all, he was the one who killed Lelouch in the first place. People would tend to believe him more than-

"He was my brother. I don't deny that. But just because he was... Wrong doesn't mean that everyone related to him was like that" Despite her calm voice and the blank look on her face, Zero noticed the way her hands had turned white from gripping the wheelchair too hard.

"What about Princess Euphemia?" the First man shouted. "She massacred millions of people without even blinking an eyelash. She promised tem a better future and then killed them brutally." The crowd had started to get agitated.

Zero saw the panic beginning to take over Nunnally. Her eyes were wide as her hands shook lightly. He had to step in.

"I am sorry Princess but there is no way we can believe you. It's better if you go to the same place that your Demon brother has gone to! Hell!" The first man reached into his pockets. "This is for my wife and children." Suzaku didn't think when he saw a gun in the man's hand. He saw the guard's from behind rush towards them but he knew that they would be too late.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he fought the Geass on him to reach Nunnally in time. Despite his Geass being active and bombarding his mind with instructions to get away, he fought against it and stood in front of Nunnally facing her.

And then he felt it. Pain. As bullets rained upon his back and tore through his flesh, he shielded Nunnally completely using his cloak to hide her from other. He was dimly aware of the guards trying to restrain the crowd that had gone wild and the sound of Knightmare frames trying to maneuver through the panicked crowd to reach them.

"Su- Suzaku?" He noticed the shock and tears in her eyes as she extended a trembling hand to touch his mask.

He felt his lips curve up into a bitter smile. It looked like he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Lelouch after all. He wouldn't be able to protect Nunnally anymore.

"Nunnally... Stay safe. Be good. Take care of your people." He whispered as tears stared to fall from her eyes. He could hear all the commotion and chaos around him and he knew that the guard had started to round up the people but his attention was completely focused on the tiny fragile girl in front of him.

"Please don't go! Don't lave me! Please! You are the only one I have left after Lelouch. Please... "Nunnally's desperate sobs cut through Suzaku's hart but there was nothing we could do about it. His 'Live' Geass flickered weakly in his eyes but he knew that he would've able to hold on for much longer. He stumbled and fell forward; half his weight on Nunnally's wheelchair.

"I'm sorry Nunna-" He took a shuddering breath before coughing up blood. But he kept talking. "I will tell Lelouch hoe much you miss him when I reach hell."

Now tears had started to flow freely from her eyes. "No, no don't talk like that. You and Lelouch... You both deserve to be in heaven... Please." She put her hands on his as he clutched her wheelchair for support. He mused in some corner of his mind a how awkward it might have looked. Zero hunched over the Empress wheelchair and his clock hid her from view.

"Please don't cry for me. I don't deserve your tears." Nunnally shook her head at that. "I don't think..." He trailed off. He felt his vision start to blur.

"Zero-sama!" A high pitched voice shouted and he felt himself pulled away from Nunnally.

The guards had arrived. But he knew that it was too late. He had already started to drift off. Black and white. Light and dark.

The last thing he remembers is hearing Nunnally scream, "Zero!"

* * *

He knew he was in hell when he saw the place he ended up in.

Lelouch laughed. He knew it. He knew that he would end up in hell. Maybe everyone's interpretation of hell was different. While most of them thought of hell as fire and heat, he thought it of a place where everything had started.

The World of C.

So it was fitting that he would end up here after his death.

And dead he was. A death from the hands of his best friends, the only one he trusted to take care of Nunnally. The thought of is sister bought a rueful smile on his face. Her dream was fulfilled. He had created a peaceful world for her to live in.

"Lelouch vi Britannia. You are back." Lelouch merely grinned the booming voice.

"Oh yes, I missed being here." A hint of sarcasm despite the grin could be heard.

"I'm glad to hear that." And Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the amusement that emanated from the voice of 'God'.

"You saved me."

"I saved humanity." Lelouch corrected. He idly noted that he was in his Zero's outfit minus the cloak and mask.

"Regardless of what you meant to save, you have performed a great service to me."

"Is there a reason I'm here?" Lelouch asked, a bit unnerved by the voice echoing around him.

"Of course. There is a reason for everything I do. Humans sometimes do not understand them though."

"Well, I'm no longer human am I?" Lelouch shot back dryly.

"I thought you would like to meet an old friend." Now the voice sounded strangely smug. For some reason, it reminded Lelouch of Milly when she concocted another of her usual schemes that would only cause trouble for him.

"Do you mean CC?" Lelouch asked. As far as he knew, CC was the only one with the knowledge of the world of C and a means to enter it.

"No, I said an_ old_ friend." Lelouch didn't miss the emphasis on old.

"What the hell….?" Pivoting on his heel, Lelouch frowned as he heard Suzaku's voice. His frown changed into a scowl when he saw Suzaku standing in his Knight of Zero uniform.

"What are you doing here?" He should've been with Nunnally, protecting her. As he spoke, Suzaku, who had been looking around trying to figure out where he was, turned towards him in surprise.

"Lelouch?" The disbelief in Suzaku's voice was clear. "How are you…?" Suzaku blinked and Lelouch could nearly hear the gears in Suzaku's head turning. "Ohh…. I must be dead." The tone which he had used was casual and it took a moment for Lelouch to digest the information.

"Died? What do you mean by dead?" He demanded advancing towards Suzaku. Suzaku couldn't be dead. He couldn't die. Lelouch had made sure of that. He was sure that his 'Live' Geass would still be working after he died and he had given explicit instructions to Jeremiah that whatever happened not to use his Geass canceller on Suzaku. But he knew that the possibility that he was wrong that the Geass had died with him. At the same time, Suzaku was physically fit freak of nature. Lelouch had himself seen Suzaku dodge a machine gun with only 3 seconds time lapse.

Suzaku just blinked some more before opening his mouth to speak. But Lelouch was not done yet. "How can you be so- so irresponsible? I left you to take are of Nunnally ad be the symbol of peace. Do you know what will happen if people think that you- no, Zero is dead? There will be another uprising and all that we've worked so hard for will be of no use. And Nunnally. What about her? She is all alone and there is no one to take care of her if there is another unrest-"

"Wait!" Suzaku held his hand up to stop Lelouch's rant. Lelouch merely glared at Suzaku.

"There are still people out there to take care of Nunnally. I do think the Black Knights would allow another war to start. As far as Zero goes, people will just assume that it is another of his disappearing acts." Suzaku sighed. "I didn't die on purpose you know."

"Oh really?" The dry biting sarcasm was apparent in Lelouch's tone.

It was Suzaku's turn to glare at Lelouch. "I promised you that I would take care of Nunnally and the peace you created. That was what I was doing. I couldn't let Nunnally die. It was either Nunnally or me." Suzaku kept the scowl on his face.

"You died saving Nunnally?" Lelouch asked sounding a bit mollified.

"Well, yes. Even if you do have a problem with it there is nothing you can do because we both are dead." Suzaku looked around at the familiar place. "How and why did we end up here?"

Before Lelouch could reply, the voice spoke up. "Since everyone needed has arrived, I can proceed."

"Proceed with what?" Lelouch felt his guard go up. He knew that the world of C contained a lot more power that anyone else on the living world and he didn't know if it was good or bad thing.

"With my entertainment." At this Lelouch glanced at Suzaku. Suzaku looked as perplexed as Lelouch felt.

'Entertainment?"

"What if I was to give you both another chance?"

"Another chance at what?" Suzaku broke in. Lelouch kept silent.

"Another chance at life. To correct your wrongs. To save people you couldn't save in the previous life."

Lelouch felt a punch in his gut. He remembered all the things that had gone wrong and everything he went through to bring his sister the peaceful world she had always dreamed of. And he had achieved it.

"I wouldn't take it." Lelouch saw Suzaku turn to stare at him in surprise but ignored him.

"Why is that?"

"The world is perfect now. People have the peace it requires and his sister. I have achieved whatever I wanted."

"So you are satisfied?" Lelouch hesitated. The truth was no, he was not satisfied. There were things he regretted, things he would love to set right. But doing that might alter the future and make it worse. And he didn't think he would be able to g0 through everything he had gone through once more. So he nodded.

At Lelouch's nod, the voice asked, "What about you Suzaku Kururugi? Are you satisfied with how things have turned out?"

Lelouch was sure that Suzaku would agree with him. Suzaku had suffered equally if not more to what Lelouch had gone through. Suzaku had always wished for death. But at the silence from his companion, Lelouch frowned and looked at him. Suzaku had an odd thoughtful look on his face.

"No , I'm not." Lelouch stared at Suzaku in shock. With his head tilted upwards, Suzaku addressed the voice. "Yes, people are happy now. The world is peaceful but there are certain people who aren't happy. They are the ones who deserve peace and happiness above all but after everything that has happened, I don't think they ever will be."

"What are you saying Suzaku? Wasn't it your wish to die? If you are thinking about going into the past just for meeting Euphie again…." Lelouch trailed off.

Suzaku lowered his head to meet Lelouch's eyes.

"Yes, it was my wish to die. I thought I deserved death. Even now I do- but that wouldn't be a punishment would it? It would be a blessing. Staying alive without the people I care about is a punishment." Suzaku took a deep breath. "I want to change things Lelouch. Not for me. I don't think I deserve it. But for Euphie, Shirley, the student council, Nunnally, the black knights and even you." Suzaku looked hopefully at Lelouch. "If we don't deserve to live maybe we can at least save all the people who deserve a second chance at life."

Lelouch, who had been ready to start another rant, stayed silent. What Suzaku said had started to click in his mind. He didn't deserve a second chance. But his friends and family did. All the people who had died for him in vain deserved to have another chance at life. Even if he did die this time too, he wanted to do it without any regrets.

"Fine." Lelouch scowled at the stunned expression on Suzaku's face. "Don't look like that. I'm not doing it for myself. I have some regrets too you know."

Suzaku grinned lightly. "Whatever you say Lelouch."

"So you accept my offer?"

Sharing a glance with Suzaku, Lelouch smirked. "Yes, we do. We are ready to live our life once more…."

"Very well! You both will be sent back in time, to the place where everything started. But remember, no one except both of you will remember what has happened. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore, after all the moment you start making changed in our past the future will automatically be altered. Now go!"

And the World of C faded away.

**Author Notes****: You would've noticed the way I used both Suzaku and Zero's name separately. It is done on purpose. Please review your suggestions.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Code Geass: Lelouch of Re-Try**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:****Well…. It was a hectic time for me and thus no time for updating. This chapter is more of a filler chapter. The actual action starts from the next chapter. Sorry for the long wait.**

**Review replies are at the end.**

**_Sometimes second chances work out better than the first because you have already learnt from your mistakes._**

**Chapter 2: Second Chances**

'It's just a dream. When I open my eyes I will see the accursed mask.' Suzaku repeatedly chanted in his mind, willing not to get his hopes up. He had woken up a long time ago but had yet to open his eyes. Instead, he just lay on his back with his eyes tightly shut chanting the same thing over and over in his mind.

'It was just a dream.'

"Private Kururugi!" He frowned at the harsh voice screaming a title he hadn't heard in a very long time. "It would be better for you if you get up right now!"

Automatically, he shuffled up and stood in attention. Blinking a few times to let his eyes adjust to the bright light he barely resisted the urge to gape at the sight before him. His old commanding officer, Alfred Sigmund, was standing and glaring at him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw other soldiers (his old comrades) shooting him looks of pity.

"Bloody Monkeys!" He refocused his attention on the officer's long face. His grey hair was neatly slicked back and his cold grey eyes surveyed Suzaku disdainfully. "You should know by now that laziness is not tolerated. Especially not by numbers."

"I am sorry, Sir. It won't be repeated." The apology came naturally to him as he bowed his head down. It was easy to slip into his role of a perfect, obedient soldier. He had that mask perfected.

"Make sure it won't be. Or else….." Alfred left that sentence hanging as he turned and left the barracks. Suzaku let out a breath and straightened up. He glanced around. All the others were starting to get ready. Sighing, he walked to the bathroom. He had not thought of where he would end up in the past. Now he had no way of knowing what Lelouch was doing. In their haste and excitement of changing things they had forgotten to plan how to stay in contact. Now he had no way of contacting Lelouch until the Shinjuku Incident.

He stopped a fellow comrade. "What's the date today?"

"Huh? It's 20th August." The man replied before rushing off. Suzaku stood frozen for a moment. It was exactly one month before the Shinjuku Incident.

"Do you want to get punished? Come on, hurry up!" One of his comrades hissed at him. Blinking he nodded and got into the shower.

So it wasn't a dream. He was back to where it had all started.

* * *

Lelouch groaned and flipped on his side. He was tired. Burying his face in the pillow he thought about his schedule for the day. As an Emperor he didn't get much sleep and- and he was supposed to be dead. With that thought his eyes flew open and he sat up. He shouldn't be alive. The last thing he remembered was… The World of C.

Slowly the deal he and Suzaku made with 'God' came back to him. To re-live his life. To save the people he cared about. To-

"Oni-sama are you awake?" Nunnally's sweet voice drifted from the other side of the door. Lelouch just sat frozen for a few moments before he replied. "Y-yes Nunnally. I will be out soon."

"If you say so." He heard the whirring sound of Nunnally's mechanical wheelchair as she went away. Letting out a sigh he looked around. He was back in the clubhouse. His room looked the same. His eyes found the photo frame on his bedside table. It was a photo of the Student Council. The smiles on their face and brightness in their eyes had not yet been marred by the war. Lelouch's eyes softened. He had missed his friends. This particular photo frame had been given by the Student Council themselves with Milly threatening him to put it on display in his room instead of stuffing it inside.

Sighing, he realized that it wasn't a dream and he wasn't really dead. But it didn't stop him from feeling his chest gingerly half expecting to find a wound. He pursed his lips when there was nothing. So it was real. Unless his whole rebellion and meeting with CC was a dream. But that seemed improbable.

He rubbed his forehead. He could nearly feel an impending headache from all the thinking. He decided to freshen up and head to class.

"Good Morning Nunnally." He greeted, entering the dining room.

She smiled at him. "Good Morning Oni-sama." He felt his heart clench as he remembered her glare filled with hatred and her tears as she realized what he had become. Forcing down his emotions, he smiled back tightly before seating himself beside her. Her smile didn't waver as she turned her attention back on breakfast.

"Isn't Oni-sama going to have some too?" She asked softly.

Lelouch looked up and sighed. He wasn't feeling hungry. He reached out and put his hand atop of hers. She titled her head in confusion.

"Oni-sama?"

"Ah- its nothing Nunnally." He cleared his throat. "You know I love you right? I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose."

Nunnally giggled. "Of course I know that Oni-sama. You are the best big brother in the whole world."

That bought a grin to Lelouch's face. "And you are the cutest small sister in the whole world."

Nunnally merely grinned. Lelouch spent some more time with Nunnally, bantering playfully with her before bidding her goodbye and making his way to his first class. He felt a nostalgic feeling creep up on him as he walked through the hallways with people greeting him good morning.

"Hey Lelouch!" Lelouch abruptly stopped walking. A pair of arms wound around his neck and he heard a hearty chuckle. "Today's chess match unfortunately got cancelled so we have to be present for the Student Council Meeting." Rivalz pulled back and started walking. "We better get going to class."

Lelouch stared after Rivalz for a few seconds before smiling and following the boy. His friend was just as he remembered. The happy-go-lucky boy who had been one of his first friends and who had introduced him to the chess matches he was so fond of.

'Well at least I had made myself hated enough that Rivalz wouldn't have felt any remorse when I died.' Lelouch thought.

"Lulu!" This time Lelouch froze by the door of his class as he stared at the orange-haired girl making her way towards him weaving through the desks and benches. There was a sharp pain in his chest as he recalled the last time he had seen her. Cold and lifeless after confessing her love to him.

"Lulu! You are early today." She was standing in front of him with a bright grin on her face and hands on her hips. He didn't reply but merely stared at her reminding himself that she wasn't dead yet and didn't need to die if he did things right this time. She was one of his closest friends and what made her even more precious was the fact that despite everything he had done she had still chosen to forgive and believe in him.

"Woke up early." He flashed a shaky smile. He still had to get over the shock and happiness of seeing her alive and well. She merely shook her head in mock irritation. His smile turned determined. Seeing Shirley so full of life had merely bought things into perspective for him. She was a person who didn't deserve to die like many others. So this wasn't the time to be emotionally in capitated and helpless. He had to turn his emotions into a weapon.

And this time, he would win.

* * *

Suzaku nearly choked when he ate the breakfast provided. He had gotten used to eating foods rich in taste that the bland and nearly inedible food made him nearly vomit.

"Is something wrong?" The person sitting next to him enquired with a frown on his face.

"Nothing. Just feeling a bit under the weather." Suzaku shrugged and turned his attention back to the food. Sighing, he forced himself to swallow a spoon of soup. If he didn't eat then he would be punished. It had been quite some time since he had last been in a military barrack but he still remembered the horrors inflicted on the people who didn't follow the rules.

"DRILL TIME!" A loud voice echoed and everyone automatically abandoned their spot at the tables and marched up to form a single file. Suzaku had not forgotten his time at the military base. They were regularly deployed for various missions that were deemed small and dangerous since they were numbers. But on the days when there were no things to take care of they had drill practise.

They all marched out into the heat. It took a moment for Suzaku's eyes to adjust to the familiar scene of an obstacle course specially designed for soldiers like them. In other words, for numbers and honorary Britannians. Suzaku supressed the urge to snort. He might still not completely agree with Lelouch's methods of getting things done but he could see many faults in the way he wanted to go too. It was up to him to decide which way was better.

"All of you monkeys already know what to do." The cold and condensing tone of Alfred washed over them. Suzaku couldn't help but glare at the ground. "The last person to get through the course will be severely punished." It was nearly impossible to go through the entire curse within minutes for a normal person. But Suzaku had been training for years and was now accustomed with it. Many other people ha gotten used to the course but there were still many who were new and would be punished for their failure. Suzaku winced as he thought of it.

He glanced to his side and saw a few boys younger than him staring at the obstacle course in fear and disbelief.

The whistle blew and everyone was off. Suzaku lagged behind. He knew that if he wanted to he could overtake everyone easily and finish the course before 5 minutes were over. But that wasn't his objective. The obstacle course consisted of several haystacks, jump over logs, crawl under logs, tunnels, trenches, planks, walls, low crawl and ended with a huge 10 foot wall with slight grooves in it.

Everyone crossed the haystack easily. Suzaku slowed down as one of the boys he had seen earlier stumble while walking on one of the planks. He nearly rushed to stop him from falling but the boy quickly regained his balance and continued on. Suzaku breathe a sigh of relief and followed the others. He was lagging behind but he didn't mind.

They continued on.

Then, at last, the 10 foot wall came up. Many people were already more than halfway through. Suzaku gritted his teeth and began climbing up. He was nearly the last person with a few people lagging behind him. One of the young boys he had seen was struggling to climb above him. Suzaku could've overtaken him easily but instead he stayed below the boy while the others climbed from the side.

"Ahh!" The boy above him lost his balance and started to fall. Suzaku's hand shot out and he caught on to the boys' hand. With one hand holding on to the wall and the other tightening around the boys' hand, Suzaku gritted his teeth. By now everyone had crossed the wall. Only he and the boy were left. Using all the strength he had, he pulled up the boy. He caught sight of the boys' wide and surprised look.

"Hold on." He hissed. The boy quickly scrambled to get a good hold on the wall. Suzaku let his hand fall away. The boy just turned to stare at him as if waiting for Suzaku to scramble up ahead. But Suzaku stayed put. "Go on." The boys brown eyes widened but Suzaku shook his head and gestured for him to go forward. The boy hesitated but with one last look at Suzaku he scrambled to the top. Suzaku took his time as he jumped down he faced Albert.

"And here comes the kind hearted monkey. Happy having done a good deed today?" Suzaku didn't reply but merely stared at the ground. He knew that no matter what he said it would be taken as back answering a higher official and he would be punished for it.

"Looks like cat got his tongue." Albert smiled sadistically. "Since you are so obedient why not let us punish the boy in your place? After all it was because of him that you came last." Albert's cold grey eyes seemed to glow as he glanced at the boy shivering with fear. Suzaku's eyes widened as he snapped his head up to stare at his officer.

"No! He is just a young boy. This obstacle course is hard enough to complete for adults let alone children. I don't think any of you could complete the-"The hard resounding smack and Suzaku could feel the pain blooming on his cheek.

"Looks like you do have a tongue. And it's wagging a bit too much. Since you came last I think that deserves a punishment doesn't it?" Suzaku pursed his lips. Better him than the young boy.

"Guards. Take him to the room." Albert called out and before long Suzaku was being dragged down a dark corridor to the 'punishment room' as they called it. Pushing Suzaku down into a rickety wooden chair, the guards began whispering on 'how unfortunate for the Eleven' and 'how he would be thought a good lesson' and all that kind of things. Suzaku ignored their snickering and reflected on how the room was like a scene out of a horror movie.

There was only one light bulb in the room and no windows. A wooden table and the wooden chair Suzaku was sitting on were the only furniture in the room. The door creaked open and Albert entered. "Well now, let's teach you to listen to your superiors now shall we..."

* * *

"There you are Lelouch!" Milly swamped in on him as soon as he entered the Student Council Room. "Do you know the amount of important documents that requires your attention immediately?" She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

Milly Ashford looked at energetic as ever. Lelouch smiled. Milly had always been like an annoying elder sister to him who, despite all her attempts to embarrass him, always looked out for him. Like family.

"You mean documents for another festival." He rebutted dryly as he took his seat next to Shirley. He never thought he would say this but he had missed the crazy festival plans that Milly came up with. It always ended up embarrassing him but he still had fun.

"I just need you to balance the budget." She waved her hand dismissively. Lelouch merely shook his head and Milly went over to Nina. Nina looked nothing like the girl he last remembered seeing. The bright, confident and successful scientist who had created a weapon of mass destruction. The girl who had been broken down yet had stood up. Lelouch shook his head. The war had changed everyone.

"Lelouch?" He turned to look at Shirley. "What's wrong?"

He smiled easily. "Nothing."

But she just kept staring at him. "You seem different today."

Lelouch stopped his work and tilted his head. "Different?"

She nodded her head resolutely. "Yeah. More easy going…. More at peace. Like you've figured out life's greatest mysteries."

Lelouch's lips tipped up into a half-smile as he resumed his work. "Maybe I did."

Shooting one last curious glance at him she resumed her work. Lelouch smirked a bit. Now he had to start planning. Suzaku would most probably be in the military base. He glanced at the calender that hung on the wall. 20th August. A month before the Shinjuku Incident. He had a month to prepare everything he required. The only problem was Suzaku.

Lelouch frowned as he thought about his old friend. He trusted Suzaku. After everything that happened it was hard not to. But that didn't mean he was comfortable. Suzaku had always been an unpredictable factor in Lelouch's plans. He had ruined Zero' best laid plans. Lelouch hated it. He didn't know whether the thought of Euphie would again sway Suzaku towards the Britannians. It was possible. But he hoped that Suzaku had enough common sense to handle it. The only thing Lelouch was worried about was the fact that he had no way to contact Suzaku until the Shinjuku Incident which was a month away. Lelouch could only hope that Suzaku didn't change his mind within the month and tried to kill Lelouch before Zero could be born.

He shivered as he remembered the raw anger on Suzaku's face after Euphie's death. Suzaku might have been his best friend before and his ally now but he was also he greatest enemy.

"Did you get cold, Lelouch? Or is this another plot to get out of the festival?" Milly popped up beside him with the dreaded newspaper roll. Lelouch merely smiled and shook his head.

"Wouldn't think of missing the festival for anything Madame President." And he actually meant it.

* * *

Dinner was just over. It was not like he was allowed to eat anyways. He was banned from eating anything today and an eye would be kept in case he tried to sneak something to eat. Wincing as pain shot up his hand he rubbed his head. Punishments were as usual physically tiring. But he had worse and he knew that emotional pain was a lot worse than any physical pain anyone could inflict upon him. But that didn't mean he was alright with his wounds.

Entering the barracks, he heard a gasp. Looking up he was met with several sympathetic looks and he found the source of the gasp. The young boy who he had helped was staring at him with horror. He trudged up to the mirror in the bathroom to gauge his wounds. His left eye was swollen and his lip split. There were blood pouring out from various wounds on his arms and legs. His clothes were torn in various places. Of course he would've to throw it out and try to get another pair of clothes. But first he would have a shower and clean up his wounds.

After a long hot shower and first aid kit, Suzaku had patched himself up as well as he could.

"Arigatou." Suzaku turned around to stare at the young boy. He kept his head down like he was ashamed as he whispered the thank you in Japanese.

"Be careful. Speaking Japanese isn't allowed here." Suzaku muttered.

"Thank you." The boy muttered in English.

Suzaku studied the boy. He might've not been older than 14. Disgust swelled inside of Suzaku. He didn't understand what kind of world allowed a young boy to be in a place like this. Maybe the world was as corrupted as Lelouch had claimed it was.

"Why did you join the military?" Suzaku blurted out the question without thinking.

The boy blinked up at him before replying. "I joined because I had no other choice. My father is dead and my mother is bed ridden. My sister is the only one left who can take care of the house and I am the only one who can earn."

"But there must be some other way." Suzaku muttered.

"There is no other way. Either you work with the Britannians or perish." The venom in the boy's voice jolted Suzaku. The boy looked up at him but continued to speak in a harsh whisper. "My father used to say that if Prime Minister Kururugi had not committed suicide maybe Japan would still be alive and we would be happy."

"But the war would still be fought."

"It's better to fight a war with the hope of freedom than to surrender and stay oppressed with no hope." The boy whispered before walking towards his bed. "Arigatou."

'So this is how it is.' Suzaku thought as he lay on the bed that night. 'This is how it is going to be.'

He may not agree with Lelouch methods of doing things but at least he knew that his friend had a heart somewhere in him. The added advantage that he knew how Lelouch worked helped him to predict his moves. But he also knew that not all Britannians were to be blamed. The common people, like the Student Council Members, as well as the kind hearted royals, like Euphie were just following what was thought to them. Suzaku swallowed as he thought about his princess. She would be alive now. Alive and happy.

She would've been happy in their dimension too if she hadn't been killed. Lelouch had killed her. Lelouch had turned her into a monster. Lelouch himself was the monster.

'If Lelouch is a monster than what are you?' A small nagging voice in his mind asked.

He turned over and sighed. He knew for a fact that Lelouch would try to avoid the death of many people this time around. And since they knew what was going to happen it was an added advantage. But he didn't want to start changing things from now itself. He had to wait until he could contact Lelouch and ask him what the plan was.

But he still had many questions in his mind. The kid had joined the Britannian Army out of desperation. He had joined with hopes to change it from within. One of the main reasons he had joined the army was because he had met Lelouch and Nunnally. He had hoped that there would be more Britannians like them, who would understand that war was a waste.

But what if he hadn't met them? Would he have turned into a terrorist? What if he hadn't killed his father? Would Japan still be free though the war against the Britannians would've continued? He clutched his head. Those all 'What-If's' were driving him mad.

It was time for change. He shouldn't be distracted by how things could've been. He had to walk towards the future like Lelouch did. They had been given a second chance and he wanted to utilize it completely. For that they had to collaborate. He knew that Lelouch would already be thinking of ways to get in contact with him. So the only thing he had to do was to find out more about the various military bases and information on the important officials.

This time he was not going to let Lelouch fight alone. He was going to fight with him.

**Author Notes:****Tacky and OOC. That's why I didn't add any major elements in this chapter. I didn't want the main plot to turn out horrible. So this is just brushing up on my writing skills.**

**Review Replies:**

**Nahte123456: **This chapter may be boring and a bit more OOC. I didn't write anything important since I was afraid I would mess it up since I am not yet back into mindset of writing.

**Emkatw1luv:** I was tired of Suzaku being so idiotic. So I gave his personality a bit of an upgrade. It makes sense. I mean he has been through a lot and learnt a lot so he is no longer the same stupid person he once was. Thanks for the review!

** .73: **What?

**Guest: **All credit goes to nahte123456. Thanks for the review!

**Obsessivefangirl08: **Well, once the fc is done I will edit it. Maybe. Thanks for the review**.**

**Furudere**: I understand what you mean but don't worry. This will be as different as I can make it without changing the major Code Geass elements. Lets see where it takes us. Thanks for the review!

**Guest: **You can get the answer to your first question here. And for the rest you would just have to keep on reading. Thanks for the review!

**Mariposa, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Matsukaze Tenma, Lord Joyde, KK, Elite Warrior**: Thanks for the review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re-Try**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** Umm…. Sorry for the long wait? Review replies at the end.**

_**There are two reasons why we don't trust people. First: we don't know them. Second: we know them.**_

**Chapter 3: The Re-Birth of a Demon**

"So the weapons are all stored at the Fujiyama base?" The General tapped his pen on the table seemingly deep in thought.

"Yes Sir. And the new Knightmare Frames are due tomorrow." The soldier reported.

Unknown to them there was a third person listening to their conversation. Suzaku Kururugi shifted slightly to make himself a bit more comfortable. His legs and hands had started to grow numb after spending time in an enclosed place.

"That's good news. The terrorist attacks have increased and though we are able to take them down quite easily they always manage to get a few of our Knightmare frames each time." There was silence for a few minutes before the soldier spoke up.

"But Area 11 is the only area that has at least some resistance standing. In most of the other areas the resistance has nearly died down completely."

"Are you trying to imply something about the capability of our Viceroy here soldier?" The General cut in coldly.

"A-Ah N-No My Lord. I- I was jus-"

There was sound of a heavy chair scraping back as the General made his way towards the door. "I don't care what you were trying to say but I don't need to hear such comments coming out of the mouth of a loyal Britannian soldier."

"Of course, My Lord." The door shut.

Suzaku sighed in relief as he came out from his extremely cramped hiding spot that was in a small cabinet in the corner. He had been unfortunate that the higher up had decided to visit on the day he was snooping around but luckily for him the General only signed a few papers before leaving the base. He stretched his cramped legs. The last time he had squeezed somewhere was when Lelouch had declared himself the king and Suzaku had to hide above to make 'a grand entrance' as Lelouch had said.

He glanced at the door before turning his attention back to the papers on the desk. They were neatly arranged in piles and Suzaku rifled through them in search of anything important. He had already gone through the computer and extracted whatever he could from there but it would be best to be thorough and check the papers too. But he couldn't anything of importance.

Now to get out of there before he was caught.

Leaving the room was easy. He just had to make sure that no one saw him sneak out of the windows. No one has thought about locking the windows. After all who could come up two storeys to break into the General's office?

He quickly blended himself into the crowd of Japanese soldiers that were getting ready for dinner after another rigorous day of training. Despite his physical fitness, even Suzaku was beginning to feel tired and drained out by the end of the day. It was by sheer stubbornness that he kept going on.

He had managed to gather some useful information that may help Lelouch this time around. He had also managed to nick a bullet proof vest. His father's watch might have been able to save him last time but he didn't want to depend on luck this time. He didn't want to die before he began to make the world a better place. If that was even possible.

'_Well, now that's a new one.'_ He thought dryly. For the past 8 years he could think of nothing but ending his life. He had tried and tried but despite all the danger he put himself in he never came any nearer to death. And then Lelouch had put that damn 'Live' geass on him. He stopped short as a thought entered his mind. Was Lelouch's geass still active on him? Or had it reverted back to the time when he was still geass free?

'_If you don't have the geass on you, would you take your life?'_ He didn't know where that question had come from but he stood there and pondered on it. Would he take is life and end his pathetic existence before he could do anything?

"Is everything alright?" A quiet, cool voice broke him away from his thoughts. Turning around he met the dark eyes of a boy who he had not seen around before. He noticed that they were the only ones left out in the hallway. Everyone had already entered the mess. "What's wrong? You are spacing out. Is it because of the training today?" Suzaku unconsciously clenched his fists. Today's training was one of the worst he had witnessed.

Someone had died. He couldn't recall if this had happened in the original timeline too. But he could still see the image of the boy no older than Nunnally lying on the ground eagle spread. He hadn't seen the boy's face; he couldn't bear to look at it despite being the cause of millions of death. All of the so called Honorary Britannians had been shocked but no one said anything.

The boy seemed to notice Suzaku's anger and Suzaku noticed a maturity beyond his age in his eyes. Why hadn't he noticed that before? "I know how you are feeling. We all feel the same. But there's nothing we can do is there?" The boy sighed tiredly rubbing a scar on his arm. "All of us here are slaves. We have no power. We are even worse than the Japanese out there fighting. Maybe they are living in horrible conditions but at least they have their dignity. Is a life without dignity worth living?" The boy muttered.

"If you had a chance to do something about this, to end all of this though it may claim a lot of lives will you be ready to do it?" The question slipped out before he could think.

The boy looked at him thoughtfully and Suzaku felt himself fidgeting under his gaze. There was something disconcerting about his dark eyes. "Of course I would. Some lives are meant to be sacrificed aren't they? Some people are just born to be sacrificed for the good of the world." Suzaku wondered if it meant that no matter how much they changed the world for the better in the end only Lelouch's death could bring true peace. That the Shinjuku Massacre, death of Euphie, Shirley and millions of other people were necessary.

"Some people are destined to die no matter how much you try to save them. Maybe the death today also had some meaning. So you shouldn't let that distract you from your goal. You got a second chance most would kill for. Don't let your goal be clouded with doubt and insecurity. Maybe you would be able to save a few lives. You got a second chance at life. Use it well." And with that he turned and walked away.

Suzaku gaped after the boy. "Private Kururugi get going!" He glanced at the seething officer behind him before turning his gaze back. The boy was nowhere to be seen. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a gurney being pushed by a medic. He guessed it was the body of the boy who had died during training today. For some reason he was consumed by dark curiosity to see the boy's face.

The dead boy's dark eyes stared at him blankly.

Suzaku swallowed.

It was the same boy who had spoken with him not less than a minute ago.

A message from the World of C.

* * *

Lelouch sat down with a notepad in front of him.

"Let's see." He murmured. "Tomorrow is the day I get my geass. I have acquired disposable phones and everything else required." Tapping his pen on the notepad he frowned. He had to plan ahead this time instead of winging it like the last time. He planned to keep most of the events the same with a few minor alterations.

"Sayoko, Jeremiah, Kallen and CC." He wrote down. If there were anyone he would even remotely consider hinting into his plans it would be these four people. Suzaku would of course know about all his plans- he knew it was a risk trusting Suzaku since he had been betrayed by his so called best friend before too but this time he was inclined to believe him. It would be better if there were no secrets in between them this time around. Transparency was crucial if they wanted to succeed.

"Sayoko Shinozaki." The name bought a smile on Lelouch's face. She was one person he trusted the most. She has taken care of Nunnally and kept her safe despite working for the Black Knights. She had also been a part of the Zero Requiem. She would be one person he would confide in about his identity as Zero.

"Jeremiah Gottwald." His mother's most loyal guard. He was a very useful ally and a loyal one at that. Lelouch had no doubts he could trust Jeremiah but Jeremiah would only work for Lelouch not Zero. He would need a find a way to talk to Jeremiah as Lelouch vi Brittania before revealing his identity as Zero. Jeremiah was still too biased to join forces with Zero. So Jeremiah would have to wait.

"Kallen Kouzuki." His Queen on the battlefield. He did have a soft spot for Kallen and did trust her. But he couldn't forget the fact that she was more loyal to Japan than to anyone else. Maybe there would be a time he could tell her his identity but it was not now.

"CC." The variable. He knew for a fact that she would never betray him- not until there was a chance of him fulfilling the contract. But she was also in contact with Marianne and he didn't know how much information would be leaked to his so called 'mother'. So for now he would refrain from arousing CC's suspicions until he had full information about how Marianne's geass worked.

He sighed and looked down at the short notes he had made. It was notes about all his allies and adversaries. About all the people he had come across and all the major events that had taken place. His eyes were drawn towards the three names that were highlighted.

Euphie, Shirley and Rolo.

The three deaths that had changed the course of the war. Euphie's death had sealed Suzaku's betrayal, Shirley's death had sealed the Black Knights betrayal and Rolo's death had sealed his determination to end it all once and for all. But this time it would be different. He wasn't going to lose the three people that held value in his life. Not this time.

He stood up, a smirk curving his lips. This time he was going to win. For Suzaku, for Nunnally, for Euphie, for Shirley and all the people who sacrificed their life for his cause.

The game is on.

* * *

The day was sunny. Suzaku didn't remember much about the weather of that day and it was funny that he was noting it now but he couldn't help but tilt his head back and stare at the blue sky.

"What's up with you today?" His comrade asked as he put on the suit. The day when it all began had at last come and Suzaku wanted to do nothing more than curl up on his bed and forget about the task at hand. Once he met Lelouch there would be no turning back and he wasn't sure if he was ready to embark on the same road that had taken away everything he cared about from him.

"Nothing much. It's been a long time since our last mission. So feeling a bit jittery." Suzaku smiled grimly. Technically Suzaku wasn't lying. It had been a long time since he went on a mission like this. He hadn't done anything like this after supposedly dying in the battle with Kallen. And even then, the battle with his rival was on a whole different level than the mission he was going on now.

'_Maybe if everything goes down the right way I would not need to fight Kallen again.' _

Of course, all that would depend upon how he handled things this time around. "Alright you monkeys! Climb aboard and get ready for your mission. You will be briefed after reaching the Ghetto!" Suzaku's mouth set in a grim line he boarded the aircraft carrier with several other of his comrades.

This was it. There was no turning back now.

"We have reached Shinjuku Ghetto."

Suzaku looked up. Across him was a row of Japanese soldiers who were attentively listening to everything being said to them. _'Honorary Britannians. What crap!'_ He had faith in the system before. Even though he won't admit it was mainly because of Nunnally and Lelouch he had decided to join the Britannian Army. He had hoped to find more people like them amongst the Britannians.

"Bastards, your mission is to locate the poison gas and report back its location to us. We will be doing the retrieving work." Suzaku glared at the ground. Insults like these didn't bother him anymore but it was the thought of what was going to happen that pained him. The Massacre was going to take place no matter what he did. Lives would be lost. It's just like the boy/ Collective Unconsciousness had said yesterday. They couldn't save everyone.

"Go sniff out the monkeys that have the same smell as you!" Suzaku lowered to the ground and set off towards the subway tunnel where he knew the truck would be lying.

* * *

It felt like years to Suzaku since he had last seen Lelouch.

It had been only a month.

If there was any doubt in Suzaku about if this was _his_ Lelouch than it was gone as soon as their eyes met. Suzaku knew that this was the Lelouch who had lost too much just by his eyes. He had often mused that Lelouch eyes turned a shade darker for every sin he commits or every life he destroys. The Lelouch he had met 2 years ago had a wary aura. This Lelouch was looking at him thoughtfully like he was trying to figure out whose side Suzaku was on.

And it stung.

Suzaku hoped that Lelouch would trust him this time around- not that he had given Lelouch much of a reason to trust him- instead of looking at him with those sorrowful eyes filled with caution. Pursuing his lips Suzaku stepped forward.

"Lelouch."

Lelouch tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in consideration before he sighed and walked towards Suzaku with carefully deliberate steps that reminded Suzaku of Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. He had to stifle the sudden urge to bow down to Lelouch.

"Suzaku. It has been a long time but this is neither the time nor the place to make small talk." Glancing at the container Lelouch returned his attention to Suzaku. "You know what is going to take place and for now it will be good to let things continue the way they were."

Suzaku nodded before extracting a small disc from his pocket. Lelouch merely raised an eyebrow and Suzaku unconsciously frowned. "This has information about various superior officers, military bases and a few other things you may want to know." Swallowing, Suzaku surrendered the disk to Lelouch who looked at it speculatively before slipping it into his pocket. He tossed Suzaku something.

Suzaku deftly caught it before glancing at it curiously. A disposable cell phone.

"To contact each other in times of emergency." Lelouch didn't look at Suzaku as he said this but busied himself with the container in which CC was kept. Suzaku's lips twitched upwards. He was right not to have bought a cell phone. Lelouch had thought of everything.

The container began to split as CC emerged from it. Suzaku ignored the urge to push the gas mask over Lelouch's face like he had done last time even though he knew that there was nothing poisonous in there.

(But in a way CC was poison to him. She had poisoned everyone's life with the bitter power of geass)

Lelouch untied her gag and looked at Suzaku. Lelouch was studying her with careful consideration. Suzaku wondered if Lelouch would include her too in the plan. But before Suzaku could ask Lelouch anything, he had broken out of his stupor and addressed Suzaku. "Be ready."

For one moment Suzaku didn't understand what Lelouch meant. But the phrase clicked in his mind as soon as he heard a shout behind him.

"Private Kururugi!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning and running up to the commanding officer.

"Yes, Sir!" And now everything starts.

* * *

He had fainted. He had taken adequate precautions to prevent any severe casualties but at the close range at which he was shot he could never be sure if the bullet proof vest he had on would be enough to protect him.

"Oh oh! Looks like the fallen officer has awakened!" Lloyd was as loud as ever with his ever present slightly crazy grin and enthusiastic manner. Suzaku sat up slowly drinking in the sight of Lloyd jumping around and Cecelie trying to restrain him.

"You just missed a chance to go to heaven." Lloyd cackled.

Suzaku nearly smiled at the irony of it. The one time he did die he was sent back to help Lelouch save the world in a better way.

"Lloyd!"

"Well you are one lucky soldier. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be wearing a bullet proof vest when they go out on a simple retrieve a lost item mission." Lloyd's grin was unnerving and Suzaku knew better than to underestimate the mad scientist. Lloyd may be flamboyant and loud but he was sharp.

Suzaku merely shrugged.

"Have you ever piloted a Knightmare Frame?"

"Only in simulators." Suzaku answered. It was not the complete truth but no one would believe the truth anyways.

"Great! You are going to be piloting the Lancelot. The original pilot is stuck on the frontlines battling the terrorists." Lloyd grinned as he started to walk away. This was new information to Suzaku. So despite him being an on-the-spot decision of Lloyd there had really been someone who was actually supposed to be piloting the Lancelot?

"Who is the pilot?" He blurted out unintentionally.

Lloyd barely spared him a glance as he replied. "Jeremiah Gottwald."

* * *

Lelouch looked at the dead bodies around him and felt his lips curl upwards with disgust. He didn't enjoy killing people. He had more than his share of blood on his hands already but he couldn't avoid the necessity.

"W-what happened here?" And there was Villeta right on time.

Sighing he repeated the same lines he had all those ages ago. As he predicted she stepped out and he successfully used his geass on her. But this time he made sure to add an additional command. "You won't remember any of this after I leave from here." She nodded her head and with one last glance at the dead/unconscious CC, he sat in the Knightmare and left.

(He figured that taking her with him will only further hinder him and if she could find her way to him last time she could do so this time too)

His next plan was to contact Jeremiah.

He opened up and communication lines and contacted Kallen.

"Who are you?!"

"If you want to live you will follow my instructions." Lelouch twirled the Black King. Everything was going according to plan with only slight deviations from the past. Just like last time, Kallen hesitated a bit before following Lelouch's instructions. He hid in the abandoned building waited for them to show up on the railway track.

Lelouch hated waiting. But he had learnt the virtue of patience a long time ago. He glanced at the screen and thought about Suzaku. Suzaku looked the same like Lelouch remembered him though there was something in his eyes and the heavy shoulders that wasn't there the last time they had met in this situation. The war had changed all of them. It had taken everything in Lelouch not to blurt out the question that had been haunting him for the past one month.

'_Is it you Suzaku? Do you hate me? Are you still my ally or have you changed your mind? Will you help me or will you kill me right now before Zero is ever born?'_ All the questions had flown out of his mid when Suzaku gave him a disk. Information on Britannia. He hoped that Suzaku didn't notice his slightly shaking hand as he took the disk from Suzaku.

He had felt his chest squeeze when he saw Suzaku being shot. He admitted that it wasn't only worry for Suzaku that caused him to be worried but also his own selfishness. If anything happened to Suzaku then he would be completely alone against the world. He and Suzaku were two sides of the same coin. Maybe they didn't have anything common but they were binded by a single goal as well the tight, weathered bond of their friendship no matter how fragile it seemed.

He pursued him lips. The Shinjuku Massacre was horrible- not one of the worst ones he had witnessed yet it still held the same horror that the SAZ Massacre had. He wouldn't have been able to stop it no matter what had happened. He had to get his geass from CC to even get anywhere near to Clovis and by the time he had found CC and escaped from the Royal Guard, Clovis had already ordered the extermination. It made Lelouch's blood curl.

His line of thought was broken but sounds of blasts and he saw Jeremiah chasing Kallen on the railway track. He smirked and attacked Jeremiah and his team. But this time instead of destroying Jeremiah's Knightmare, he merely disabled it.

"Friendly fire? It's Villeta's Knightmare!"

Lelouch opened up the communication lines. "This is indeed Villeta Nu's Knightmare."

There was a shocked pause. "Where is Villeta and what have you done to her?" Lelouch smiled. Jeremiah had calmed down a lot after he got turned into a half cyborg but he still retained his passion to protect the ones close to him. "Answer me you damn terrorist what have you done to her?!"

Lelouch sighed. Jeremiah unfortunately still seemed to have his biased opinions towards anyone who was not a Britannian.

"How do you know I am an Eleven?" He asked.

"What?" Lelouch smiled. He managed to throw Jeremiah off balance.

"How can you be so sure that I am an Eleven. The last time I checked you haven't seen my face nor do you know my name."

"Because only you damn fools seem to think that you actually have a chance to win against Britannia!"

Lelouch grinned. "Well, I am not an Eleven." There was silence on the other end. "The Aries Villa is- was- famous for its gardens which are one of the biggest in the world but no one knows about the underground garden that holds the most unique flora known to the world." Marianne had been quite fond of gardening and while Aries Villa did indeed have the most splendid gardens only a very few knew about the underground garden that Marianne herself personally tended to.

"Who are you?" Lelouch could imagine Jeremiah's paled face as he tried to figure out who exactly Lelouch was.

"I am Zero." And with that he cut off the connection focusing on the ongoing battle. He would start off by dropping hints before revealing himself. Though he knew that Jeremiah would never betray him he had already learnt to be cautious. The first thing he would do was to position himself in a more secure place- AKA the place where Suzaku would find him.

Suzaku zoomed through the streets defeating the Knightmare frames he encountered. He knew that Lelouch had told to keep everything the same but he hadn't thought that Lelouch meant losing the battle too.

'But Lelouch never actually lost the battle did he.' Suzaku thought as he located a few more enemy Knightmare frames. 'He managed to kill Clovis and lure Cornelia to Japan.'

Suzaku knew where Lelouch would be hiding. According to Lelouch he was supposed to stick with the past for now. Until Lelouch contacts him and tells him otherwise. So he focused on the building where he knew Lelouch would be hiding.

"It's your turn now.'Suzaku muttered as he crash entered the building.

* * *

'"It wasn't Kururugi." Jeremiah rubbed a hand on his forehead. He and Villeta were the only ones in the office and he knew he could express his concerns to her without the word spreading around. This mission was supposed to be an easy one. He was supposed to have retained the capsule without any problem.

"Most of us know that but we need a scapegoat to show the public and Kururugi is the only one who is available. He has a motive and no alibi." Villeta seated herself on the chair. "But who do you suspect?"

"It was Zero." Came Jeremiah's unhesitating reply. Villeta pursed her lips. She and Jeremiah had discussed about this 'Zero' person without coming to a conclusion. She couldn't remember who had taken her Knightmare Frame and more importantly how he had taken it. But if what Jeremiah was saying was true than it was this Zero person himself who had taken over her Knightmare Frame. But _how?_

"But who is this Zero?" She asked.

"I don't know." Jeremiah replied frowning. But there was an infliction in his voice that captured Villeta's attention. Noticing Villeta's look Jeremiah sighed and sat down on another chair. "It's just that… his voice was familiar."

"You have talked with him before?" Villeta asked surprised.

"No not in that way. It was the tone of his voice that struck me as familiar. That same self-confident and proud tone. I have heard it before. "There was a faraway look in Jeremiah's eye. "It kind of reminded me of Prince Schneizel."

"You are comparing a Royal to a terrorist." Villeta pointed out.

"That is not it. There was also one weirder thing." Jeremiah stood up and paced.

"What?"

"That guy- Zero, he knew about the Ephemeral gardens."

"The Ephemeral gardens?"

"Lady Marianne was very fond of gardening so she had constructed a small underground garden in Aries Villa that she personally tended to." Jeremiah stopped pacing and looked at Villeta. "No one except a few people knew about it. All of them were Britannians and close to Lady Marianne."

Villeta tensed up. "What are you trying to say Jeremiah?"

Jeremiah turned away and began to exit. "As of yet, nothing. But I have a feeling that we are going to be seeing more of Zero than we would like to." Glancing back at Villeta's disgruntled face he shook his head and said, "Come on, we have a public execution to lead."

* * *

**Author Notes: Mostly stuck to the canon. Sorry if it disappointed but then I really doubt Lelouch would have some dramatic change right from the start. As far as stopping the massacre goes, even if he could've, he wouldn't. He needed the massacre as a boost to bring up Zero and the Black Knights. And Lelouch is no hero.**

**Review Replies:**

**Nahte123456:** I wasn't able to successfully integrate their Knight of Zero/Emperor personalities unfortunately. I will try my best though. Thanks for the review!

**Obsessed, Adrian, fainfan, faptuR, Yusuke Urameshi- Mazoku:** Thanks for the reviews!

**Silvermist023 and Republic:** Thank you for the lovely reviews. As far as pairings go, this will mostly be a neutral fic with fluffy kind of moments with everyone but no concrete pairing. You feel free to grasp on the moments with the pairing you like an ignore the ones you don't.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: Took me long enough to come out with a new chapter. That too it is well written at places and badly written at others. Forgive me for mistakes since I haven't had any time to edit it. Thanks for the support. Please read and review!**

_**When we think of the past, it's the beautiful things that we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that- Margaret Atwood**_

**Chapter 4: Rescue Operations**

Lelouch was rudely awakened from his nap with a whack on his head with a very familiar roll of newspaper.

"What was that for?!" He glared at Milly who stood with her hands on her hips.

"I knew you were sleeping, don't try to make excuses. Your hand stopped moving." Milly raised an eyebrow as if daring him to contradict her.

Instead of arguing further, he just sighed. "You should have told us about the budgeting two day ago. Then maybe we wouldn't have to rush through it like this." He countered sternly. He felt a sense of déjà vu fill him as he uttered the sentence.

"Or two days later too would have done. We would have already given up by then." Rivalz chuckled.

"GUTS!" Lelouch nearly jumped at that. He had almost forgotten how fond the President was of her 'spells'. He had always scoffed at them but now his lips curved into a small smile as he looked at the person who was like his elder sister to him.

Milly Ashford may be the single most annoying she-devil in his life but there was never a time when she failed to stand by the people she cared about. And if there was anyone who even remotely understood him it would be her.

"Well, I am feeling rather energized by it!" Shirley declared and Lelouch felt his smile became bigger as it turned into another regular banter of the members that often ended with some lewd comment from Milly.

He has surprisingly missed this.

Maybe he had a lot of problems. A lot of issues to resolve. Many great things to do. But here, in this moment, he was nobody else but Lelouch Lamperouge, the Vice President of the Student Council. And that itself was more than enough for him.

The news had been running in the background but no one had been paying much attention to it engrossed in their own personal banters. "Oh my…" It was Nina's petrified voice that dragged their attention to her. She had her hand over her mouth and her eyes were wide with fear. She was looking at the TV with a look of frozen horror on her face.

The others too turned to look at the TV. Lelouch already knew what news caused such a reaction from Nina. Shirley gasped as Milly fell silent and Rivalz straightened up in his chair.

"Prince Clovis has officially been announced dead this morning. Many are suspecting the work of a terrorist but investigations are still going on with-" The reporter went on but Lelouch had tuned out.

The memory of him killing Clovis didn't make him vomit this time. He had far too much blood on his hands already; a little bit more didn't matter. But he knew that now Clovis was announced dead, Suzaku's arrest would soon follow. Lelouch frowned at that. He had a lot of work to do. This time he already knew that Kallen was the pilot at Shinjuku so he needn't use his geass on her to confirm it. Yet he still needed to contact her as Zero and make sure that he was in the clear in case she got suspicious of him again.

"It's really unbelievable." Rivalz voice broke his thoughts and he looked at them. They were all still looking shocked. Except for Milly who was staring at him. He knew what she was trying to ask and he merely shrugged. He no longer cared about what happened to the Royal Family. They weren't his- or Nunnally's- family anymore. Milly frowned lightly and turned her attention back to the TV.

"Nina? Are you alright?" Shirley turned her attention towards the meek girl who was still looking horror struck.

It took her a while to answer. "Um… yes, yes I am fine." The tremor in her voice didn't convince anyone but they knew better than to push further if she didn't want to admit it.

Lelouch knew that this time around he would have to get Nina Einstein on his side. It wouldn't be an easy feet- not a far but it was the only way he can ensure that the FLEIJA didn't get into the wrong hands. It would be preferable if Nina wasn't obsessed with Princess Euphemia though Lelouch had to admit that it was Euphie who had changed Nina to become stronger if more ruthless.

But it wasn't a risk he could take in this dimension. While he didn't want the FLEIJA t be created in the first place in this dimension he knew that was a nearly impossible goal so he would have to settle with getting Nina over to his side.

"Something big is coming. We may not be able to see it yet but you can sense it all the same." Milly's words jolted Lelouch out of his thoughts as he stared at her in surprise. Though he guessed he really shouldn't be all that surprised because despite being carefree most of the time Milly had a serious side people often failed to acknowledge. Shirley and Rivalz had frowns on their faces as they listened to the news and Nina had already turned back to her computer though she seemed lost in thought if the absence of the sound of the keyboard keys were any indication.

"Well then, its better if we get prepared for it isn't it?" Lelouch replied as he glanced at Milly.

She merely raised an eyebrow but he turned his attention back to the TV.

Now for the next part of the plan.

* * *

Sayoko Shinozaki had been working for the Ashford family ever since Japan turned into Area 11. She had no qualms about serving the Ashfords- they never treated her in a disrespectful way nor trashed her heritage. Of course there were a few regrets but then she never felt any ill will towards the Ashfords. That was part of the reason she accepted when they asked her to look after the Lamperouge siblings.

She really didn't quite understand the relationship between the Lamperouge and the Ashfords. Reuben claimed that their mother was an old student of his but she sensed there was more to the story than that. But it wasn't her place to question it. She had merely been given the responsibility to look after them.

Never did she imagine she would actually grow attached to the two siblings.

Sayoko hated the Britannian Empire with a passion. They had taken away her homeland along with its dignity and honor. But she was smart enough to realize that there was a difference between the government and the people. The people she took care of including Milly Ashford and the Lamperouges were few of the best people she had met. Even their friends treated her with nothing less than the utmost respect.

So when Lelouch said he wanted her help she didn't have a problem assisting him in any way she could.

Sayoko was not blind. She was silent and obeyed whatever was asked of her but it didn't mean she didn't notice things.

She had noticed that in the past few days that something had changed. It wasn't something big or dramatic but a subtle shift in Lelouch's personality that nobody else would've been able to feel. She herself couldn't exactly pinpoint what had changed but there was a look in his eye that hadn't been present before. He had always been graceful before but now he carried himself like a person who knew that he was born for greatness.

She guessed that Nunnally too had felt the slight change but didn't comment upon it. Sayoko had a feeling that Nunnally actually liked the change though she couldn't see it herself. Maybe it was because of the fact that Lelouch shoulder's seemed lighter and he looked more _determined_ than she had ever seen him.

It was the look of a person who wanted- no, _knew_\- he could change the world.

Her suspicion was confirmed when he asked her that one question.

"Sayoko, do you hate Britannians?"

She blinked in surprise. Nunnally was taken by Shirley for an ice cream treat so only she and Lelouch were present in the house. She let the question sink in before answering.

"I could never hate the people Master Lelouch. It is the system that's at fault. The Ashfords, you and your sister are all wonderful people." She stuck with the truth. She knew that despite his apathetic attitude Lelouch himself was against the system. But even she could not have predicted his next words.

"Then help me take down Britannia for good."

* * *

"Lelouch?"

Lelouch focused his attention on Nunnally. "Yes?" He already anticipated the question that was coming and was prepared to answer it.

"Is Suzaku-" She broke off, a frown prominent on her face. Lelouch smiled sadly as he patted her head. She tilted her head down and asked,"Suzaku didn't do anything did he?" It was more of a statement than a question and Lelouch was reminded of the fact that she could never consider anyone hurting each other without a proper reason especially someone like Suzaku who she was close to.

"Of course not Nunnally." Lelouch reassured her as he covered her with a blanket. "They just made some mistake. His name will be cleared soon enough." He smiled though he knew she could not see it. "Now go to sleep." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I am glad." She bluttered out as Lelouch started to move out of the room.

He stopped and turned with confusion marring his features. "What?"

"I am really glad that Onee-sama is so… happier nowadays." She mumbled the rest of the sentence. "It makes me happier too." Lelouch blinked before chuckling.

"I am happy that you are happy." He replied as he shut the door behind him. Leaning against it he sighed. Yes, he was happier now but he had no doubt that the euphoria would soon fade as he would have to start thinking of ways to go about his activities this time. It would probably be easier since he had Suzaku by his side with the additional bonus of knowing the future but then he knew that it was only a matter of time before everything changed and he would no longer be able to predict what was going to happen.

But until then it would do Nunnally good if he kept up his good spirits.

* * *

Kallen was proud Japanese. She could never admit it out loud around her Britannian classmates but she showed her patriotism but participating in the small rebellions. But she wasn't stupid. She knew that these rebellions were small scale and barely put a dent in the stronghold of Britannian Empire over Japan but it gave her a feeling of doing something instead of sitting idle.

Their mysterious rescuer contacting her had made her go on high alert but also piqued her curiosity. This was a guy who could expose her at any moment if he wanted to but instead he had helped them win at Shinjuku Ghetto. She knew that she shouldn't trust him so easily but there was something in her telling her that he was an ally.

She didn't understand the meaning of telling her and Ohgi to get into the train and see the difference between the two cities but when she appeared and explained that it wasn't the people or buildings that they were fighting against but the government itself she had been taken in. She knew- she could feel it- that this man could make a difference.

Kallen was still in her Ashford uniform. She had wanted to miss class today but Ohgi had convinced her to go seeing as it was Prince Clovis funeral and there would surely be a tribute to him. And of course there had been a huge tribute with them standing in the auditorium to pay their respects. She had complained about it the moment she had stepped out of the school.

And now, standing in the train with both the cities flashing past them in a blur, she felt out of place. Like she was on the threshold of something big and it was up to her to decide what she wanted.

"Rescue Suzaku Kururugi." Her mind blanked out.

"What?" Ohgi exclaimed stealing her words from her mouth.

Zero didn't reply but merely tilted his head to the side as if waiting for them to process the information.

"That's impossible. Unless you have more people backing you up then…." Kallen frowned.

"It's only you two." Zero stated. Ohgi and Kallen gaped at him. "There are a few more people but they are the background workers, helping us to escape the scene."

Kallen was glad that she had dissuaded Ohgi from bringing anybody else convincing him that it would be better if only the two of them went to meet the man. She was sure that the others would be less understanding about the shocking request placed in front of them.

'Is this man for real? He is saying that we have to rescue Kururugi all by ourselves with no backup whatsoever?" Kallen fumed. 'We will be dead!"

But- She stared at her shoes. He had saved them at Shinjuku. They had managed to take out most of the enemy despite being inferior and less in number. And she had no doubt it was all because of him. They might as well have died if he hadn't come there.

'Oh hell. It's from one death trap to another.' Kallen thought.

"I accept." she could feel Ohgi staring at her in surprise and shock but she didn't turn to confirm it. "It isn't like we are getting anyway far without so called rebellions anyways. You are promising to give us Japan back. I am going to hold on to that promise." She tilted her head up and stared straight at Zero. "Life is worth living only if you are able to contribute something significant to the world. If I die tomorrow trying to rescue Kururugi at least I w ill have the satisfaction of knowing I went down doing something instead of living a life as their slaves."

For a few moments no one spoke but then Zero said,"Well spoken Kallen Kouzuki. I am sure your brother would have been proud of you if he were still here."

"But we don't have enough -" Ohgi started but was cut off by Lelouch.

"We fight not only with armies but with the power of heart. Surely there is no greater power than the determination to go to any lengths to protect the one you love?" Ohgi felt silent and Kallen felt her admiration for their temporary leader grow a bit more. What he said had a ring of truth and sincerity about it. She was doing it for Naoto and she was sure that Zero himself was doing it for someone he loved.

"So it's your call. I will not force you to join forces with me in this mission but you are free to discuss with your other comrades about the best course of action. If you agree to help me, meet me tomorrow at the outskirts of the ghetto. I will explain you my plan."

And with that the train came to a stop. But even as Kallen and Ohgi disembarked leaving the masked man behind she felt a strange sense of exhilaration about the offer.

So it was with shining eyes that she turned to Ohgi and declared, "We are going to do it."

* * *

It wasn't really surprising that Suzaku felt such a strong sense of Deja vu and he was restrained and ready to be made as a public example. Of course he understood why it was him of all people who had been chosen to be executed.

No matter what he did or what he became there was no escaping the stamp of the son of the last Prime minister of Japan. Despite the fact he hadn't really done anything the Britannian soldiers didn't have anyone to blame and who else would be a better scapegoat then the son of the most influential person of old Area 11?

He knew that he wouldn't be left to die. Even if Lelouch did hate him for everything he had done there was no way he would let Suzaku die. One thing that always amazed Suzaku about Lelouch was his ability to keep his logical side dominant over his emotional one- of course, Nunnally was an exception but she had always been one.

"I hope you are ready to die worthless bastard." The soldier smirked. Suzaku had heard worse so he kept his mouth shut and eyes trained forward. "Too bad. I heard you were a good soldier. Oh well. There are a million more of you ready to serve the empire. One of you dying wouldn't make a difference."

Suzaku gritted his teeth but didn't say anything.

Now that he was able to see the bigger picture he realized just how important a person's life was. How much one life could influence others. The only difference is the magnitude at which it influences the lives of others. Any change in Lelouch's life would have an effect all over the world. The lives of soldiers who died in the name of their country would have less of an impact on a larger scale but it would affect their families.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Another soldier shouted from the front line. The soldier front of him gave him a nasty smile and disembarked leaving Suzaku bound and with a collar around his neck.

He glanced at the people lining the streets as he waited for his rescue. Lelouch had said that they would be sticking to the original timeline as much as possible to avoid any deviations from the expected future but Suzaku was well aware of Lelouch's dramatic nature and wouldn't be surprised in any change in plans.

Lelouch didn't disappoint. He came in the same way as he had come before, with Prince Clovis's old car as his transport. Suzaku was suddenly overtaken by an urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Last time he had been too busy wondering what was happening to actually sit back and watch the show as it unfolded. But this time he knew exactly was as happening as well as what was going to happen so he could watch peacefully and enjoy it until he was freed.

After the same old monologue and the revealing of the so called _poison gas_ Lelouch put forward his proposition. Jeremiah of course didn't accept it.

Just as Suzaku had predicted Lelouch deviated from his original path.

"I am sure that world would not be too happy to hear about the Code Red Scandal." It wasn't only the name that had been changed but the person at who it was directed towards too.

Jeremiah turned towards the person Le- no, _Zero- _was talking to and blinked in surprise. "Kewell? What the hell is this terrorist talking about?" Suzaku blinked. He could not remember if Kewell had been there the last time he was going to be executed but his memory was not the most reliable.

Kewell on the other hand raced forward from his position to come beside Jeremiah. "What the hell are you-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by Zero asking him to comply and help rescue Suzaku Kururugi or risk the Code Red Scandal being made public. Suzaku didn't have to see the scene to know that Lelouch had activated his geass and was manipulating Kewell to do what he wanted.

It had just got more interesting.

"Kewell! What is the meaning of this outrageous behavior?!" Jeremiah roared glaring at his subordinate who stood by the poison gas ready to puncture the container if needed. Kewell didn't reply but merely stared forward blankly.

Lelouch frowned. Last time he had been so focused on executing the plan perfectly that he hadn't noticed the collar around Suzaku's neck.

No, that was not right. He had noticed it and had frowned about it but quickly forgot when they managed to escape only for Suzaku to walk away from him.

He pursed his lips. He still couldn't understand why Suzaku had sided with the Britannians when they had treated him like this. It wasn't like the Suzaku he remembered meeting in the childhood. But it wasn't time to dwell on these kinds of things now.

He had an exit to make.

They had released Suzaku and the boy walked towards him with a blank look on his face. Zero merely nods at him and this time around Suzaku doesn't try to speak knowing very well what would happen f he does.

"Kewell. Stop this at once!" Jeremiah hissed and Lelouch turned back to see Jeremiah's Knightmare slowly advancing towards Kewell.

"Jeremiah Gottwald." The man in question stopped his advance and turned to glare at him. Lelouch had to get him off the Knightmare. He hadn't wanted to use his geass on Jeremiah but he had no other choice. "I am open to negotiations on behalf of your subordinate. But you would have to make your way away from your Knightmare if we were to talk." At the last sentence Lelouch made sure to activate his geass.

"Yes, of course."

"Jeremiah! Don't you think of-"Villeta began but was coldly cut off by Zero. "Miss Nu, I am sure you can see that I have the advantage here unless you have no qualms about causing the death all these people including yourself because of the poison gas." He gestured towards where Kewell was still standing by the container.

Villeta fell silent as Jeremiah came to stand in front of Zero.

Lelouch grinned inwardly as he glanced at Suzaku. The same blank look was still present on his face but Lelouch knew that he was confused about the turn of events.

And suddenly the world was a filled with colorful smoke and they were gone.

"Whe- where are they?" Villeta gasped as the smoke cleared.

"They escaped. And they took Jeremiah with them." Another of their subordinate replied and Villeta gritted her teeth.

They had no choice but to wait given that they didn't know the where enemy quarters were. But it didn't mean she couldn't do anything about the traitor amidst them.

"Kewell!"

* * *

"Jeremiah Gottwald. You are a loyal servant of the empire aren't you?" Jeremiah resisted the urge to groan as he rubbed a hand over his head. He didn't know what made him disembark from this Knightmare and actually try to talk to Zero.

He should've known that the poison gas was a bluff but a risk couldn't be taken. Someone had hit him on his head the moment the smoke filled the air causing him to faint. And he wasn't very happy to wake up in an abandoned warehouse with Zero looming over him

"Tell me, is this truly what you wanted to become? Is this really where your loyalty lies?" Zero continued and Jeremiah pursed his lips as he glared at the terrorist. His first thought was that he had been bought here as a punishment, so that they could make an example out of him to the other Britannians so as to not hurt the Japanese.

But Zero was standing just a few feet away completely defenseless and Jeremiah was sure that if he tried he could easily take Zero down. He would've tried if he wasn't sure that there were other people littered around in the building who would take him down before he could get out of here.

"Your loyalty lies not with the empire but with Lady Marianne who you promised to serve until the day you die." At that Jeremiah froze. He stopped surveying the place for possible exit points and gave Zero his undivided attention.

"How did- What does that have to do with anything?"

Zero ignored the question and continued. "The loyalty you show towards her extends to her offspring's also doesn't it?"

Jeremiah glared. He didn't like the tone Zero was using.

"Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia are safe and alive. For now." Jeremiah merely stared in shock. After a few seconds he shook it off and glared more fiercely.

"And why should I believe the words of a terrorist?"

Zero titled his head to the side. "Because I know the fact that when you were first assigned to Lady Marianne you broke her favorite vase by mistake. Lelouch vi Britannia had seen the incident and you made a deal with him that he would not mention the incident to his mother in exchange you would play Chess with him. No one else knows about it except him. And now he told me. In order to help you believe me." He gave a few moments for Jeremiah to process the story.

"Now do you believe me?"

"Where are they?"

"I am afraid I cannot disclose their location to you right now. They are in grave danger from none other than the royal family themselves."

"Let me talk to them then!" There was no way Jeremiah was blindly going to believe some terrorist who claimed to have killed Prince Clovis without any proof other than some childhood story.

Zero paused. Jeremiah glared and clenched his fists. He should have known that this terrorist was just trying to play around. The prince and the princess were long dead. If they we're alive then Zero would have let him talk to-

"Fine."

Wait, what?

Jeremiah merely stared at Zero in shock. Zero's metallic mask glinted in the dull light coming from the overhead light and Jeremiah began to wonder if he had heard wrong. As if reading his thoughts Zero spoke up. "I will let you speak to them on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"You should not mention this to anyone including your close subordinate Villeta Nu." Jeremiah wanted to protest on the behalf of Villeta- he knew her for a long time and he knew for a fact that she would never betray him or reveal a secret he asked her to keep. But before he could even open his mouth Zero started. "You may have your doubts about my request but in this time of war and conflict it's better not to trust anyone."

"Then why are you trusting me?" the question tumbled out before he could stop it.

Zero paused and Jeremiah had a feeling he was staring at him though he couldn't be sure with the mask.

"I am not the one who decided to trust you. It was their decision and I respect it." Jeremiah didn't need to ask who they we're. But he didn't understand why the Prince and Princess of Britannia would resort to contacting him through a terrorist who had killed their brother. He could have just returned back to Britannia after the invasion. Why go into hiding?

So it was understandable that Jeremiah was wary as Zero whipped out a phone and typed in a number. Instead of talking into it he held it out to Jeremiah who stared at it warily and after a moment of hesitation took it from Zero.

"Hello?" Jeremiah swallowed. There was a high chance that this was a trap and it might not even be real but it didn't make him any less nervous.

"Hello?" The tone was hesitant now and Jeremiah had a hard time connecting it to the Prince's voice. He had nearly forgotten how the Prince sounded.

"Is this Lelouch vi Britannia?" There was a long pause on the other side and Jeremiah was beginning to think that whoever was on the other side had hung up.

"Jeremiah?"

'It is a trap. Zero must have planned this all along.' Jeremiah tried to convince himself. It didn't help that something in his gut told him that this was no trap and it was the supposedly dead prince who was speaking on the phone with him.

"Is that really you? Are you alright? I and Nunnally were just watching the TV but the transmission got cut once Zero whisked you and the prisoner away."

"Are you really him?" Jeremiah asked still unable to believe what he was listening to.

There was another pause on the line. Then the boy spoke in a soft voice. "It was summer time and Nunnally was often found hanging by the lake and chasing butterflies with me and Euphie. Mother used to often join us. She never did anything except sit and smile. You used to be her guard so you were nearly always present. One day Nunnally forced you to play with her and you ended up in the lake with her…." The boy stopped there as if giving time for Jeremiah to digest the information.

Jeremiah gripped the phone tighter as he stared blankly at the wall behind Zero. It wasn't an uncommon knowledge that Lady Marianne spent a lot of time with her children but no one knew the story of how Jeremiah ended up in the lake.

"I won't blame you for not believing me. It must be hard to trust me since I am contacting you through the most unlikely person but-" There was some kind of hesitation and Jeremiah found himself prompting the boy to speak.

"The Royal Family are not as simple as they seem. There are a lot of secrets that would-" Lelouch broke off again. "I cannot tell you everything right now and I am not asking you to believe that I am Lelouch vi Britannia. But I just wanted you to know that I and Nunnally are both alive and well."

"If you are really the Lady Marianne's children then why didn't you return after the war ended?" Jeremiah found himself asking

"It isn't as easy as it seems." As if sensing Jeremiah's confusion from across the phone he sighed and when he spoke his voice sounded tired. "I cannot tell you much but there is someone within the Royal Family who wants us dead. The same person who killed Mother will make sure that I and Nunnally are not left alive. And that is a risk I am not willing to take." The voice had grown firm.

Jeremiah frowned at the ground. Logically he knew that this was barely any evidence to base the facts on but it wasn't like he had any choice.

"Jeremiah. I am not asking you to believe me. Please do not tell others about the fact that I am alive."

"But why?"

"We don't know who we can trust and I rather not take any risk." There was silence for a few moments before the so called Prince spoke up again. "I think it's good bye for now Jeremiah."

Jeremiah didn't say anything as the boy kept the phone and he was left with the dialer tone beeping in his ears.

"Do you believe me now?" Zero was still standing in that position.

"Not really." Lie.

"And why is that? Didn't Lelouch tell you something that only a few people would know?"

"He did. But I don't trust that. You knew about the Ephemeral Gardens so you might have also told someone else about all the other stories too."

Zero paused and tilted his head seemingly considering Jeremiah's argument. "Fair point."

"As Lelouch vi Britannia has already said, I am not asking you to believe me but it would be better if you kept this information to yourself for now." Jeremiah didn't reply and Zero turned to leave. "I will let you go after I have a talk with Kururugi. Let me see if he is interested in joining me."

"Wait? So he-"

"Doesn't know me. Isn't the murderer of Prince Clovis." Zero turned back and Jeremiah could imagine him smirking. "I don't even think he would join me given his ideals but nothing goes in trying." With that he left the room leaving Jeremiah to stew in his thoughts.

* * *

"Is Jeremiah convinced?" Suzaku was sitting on the rubble by the time Lelouch entered. He knew that Suzaku had been surprised by the turn of events but by now had understood its significance.

"I made him talk with Lelouch vi Britannia on the phone."

It took a few moments for Suzaku to understand what Lelouch meant. "You used the same trick with Schneizel." Lelouch just smiled wanly. "I don't understand how you can predict what others are going to say."

"When you know a person well enough it is easy." Suzaku tilted his head to study his friend.

"I guess that applied to me as well."

Lelouch stared at Suzaku thoughtfully. "It should be the easiest with you given that I have known you for a very long time. But for some reason you are the only person who continued to go against everything I ever predicted. You had always been the variable."

Suzaku just stared at Lelouch in surprise. Lelouch on the other hand looked away. Despite everything that had happened he had already started to trust Suzaku again. He mused that he might have never really completely stopped believing Suzaku.

CC had always said that his biggest weakness was his inability to let go of the past. And according to his past Suzaku was his first friend who had promised to always be friends. Lelouch smiled wryly. He really had no place in the future of the world if he isn't able to let go of the past. Not that he was planning to survive this time around.

"A variable huh?" Suzaku muttered. Lelouch merely shrugged.

"I think it might have been better that I would have never have existed. Maybe Nunnally would be back safe at the Castle and you would still be with Euphie and-"

Suzaku left out a sharp humorless bark of laughter. "If you didn't exist I would have probably joined one of the terrorist groups instead of joining the Britannian Army." At that Lelouch froze and stared at Suzaku in surprise.

"W-what?"

Suzaku looked away pursuing his lips. It was like he hadn't meant to say it but it had slipped out anyway.

"What do you mean by that?" Suzaku refused to look at Lelouch. Zeros mask was lying on one of the rock and Lelouch's sharp violet gaze was on him.

"The reason I joined the Britannian Army is because of you and Nunnally. I thought that- "Suzaku stopped to take a breath. It seemed like admitting this was taking a lot of effort. "That maybe there were more people like you. You both were the ones who changed my opinions about Britannians."

Lelouch sucked in a sharp breath. It all made sense now. He had never actually understood why Suzaku had joined the army. But now he did.

Genbu's death had triggered something in Suzaku- a kind of fear of being weak and unable to protect his close ones. But then it wasn't adding up.

"You mean to say that this was the reason you convinced yourself with to mask the fact that you only wanted a retribution for what you had done." Suzaku snapped his head towards Lelouch, his eyes wide with shock.

Lelouch realized that it had never actually occurred to Suzaku that he had joined the army not because of Lelouch or Nunnally but because he wanted redemption. In the form of death. He had sub consciously repressed his rather selfish desire until the veil of moral and ideal intentions.

But he himself was consciously unaware of it. According to him he had done so because he liked Nunnally and Lelouch and believed that there would be more people like them who needed protection.

Lelouch sighed and shook his head. "Look, it doesn't matter what happened in the past. I am not asking you to justify yourself. The time for that has already passed. Just- just work with me now."

At that Suzaku turned to meet Lelouch's gaze. Suzaku grinned. "Of course. Did you forget? Together we can do anything."

* * *

"I am back." Lelouch announced as he stepped in. Unlike the last time he wasn't surprised to see CC sitting with Nunnally. Instead he merely walked to his sister and after placing a kiss to her forehead turned to face CC.

"Good to see you are doing well CC. Have you come here to discuss the terms and conditions?" Lelouch kept the smile on his face as the brief look of surprise that flitted through CCs face didn't go unnoticed by him.

"As a matter of fact that's the reason I am here for." She replied a slight edge of curiosity coloring her voice.

"Oh so brother already knows CC-San?"

"She is an old friend. She needs a place to stay for some time so she will be staying here." He glanced at Sayoko and she bowed to acknowledge him. He turned back to Nunnally and placed his hand upon her head. "But don't tell it to anyone."

Nunnally's face scratched up in confusion. "Why?"

"You know how Madame President is. She will hound the poor girl and make her join in all the ridiculous festivities."

Nunnally giggled. "And she will also mercilessly tease and blackmail you." Lelouch smiled. She nodded once more at Sayoko before tugging CC towards his room.

"You don't seem so surprised to see me here." CC commented as she sat on his bed, her golden gaze as piercing as ever.

"Why should I be? You gave me a great power. I have been exposed to this world for far too long to believe that this power comes without a price. So what do you want?"

CC titled her head to the side and studied him carefully. Lelouch met her scrutinizing gaze calmly and after a few minutes of staring she smirked and shook her head. "You are one interesting young man."

He smiled lightly. "And you are one crazy witch."

With that, the clock had started to tick as events were set into motion.

The game had began.

* * *

**Author Notes: Well, sorry if it seems a bit disjointed. All the parts weren't written together. But I am glad I finished this off. And its gonna get darker as the story progresses. Review!**

**Review Replies:**

**Lord Joyde The Madman:** Thanks for the review. Ephemeral Gardens are nothing important. Just a underground Marianne had (in this fic) that no one knew about. It's just to show that Zero is someone who was close to her.

**Demons Anarchy of Pride:** Hope it was! Thanks for the review.

**nahte123456: **Well its still comparatively slow and I tied to remove a lot of recaps. Things don't go accordingly until some more time pass when big changes can be made. Thanks foe the review!

**lifeswordpa: **Thanks for the suggestion. Half the reason for my atrocious grammar is that I don't edit my stories after typing. I need to start doing that. Thanks for the review!

**Matsukaze Tenma: **Thanks for the review!

**SunsetDawn420: **Sorry? Real Life has kept me busy and I kept getting stuck with writers block. I hope this is fine enough. Thanks for the review!

**kingrichard360: **Thanks for the review!

**synbad2:** I am always open to suggestions. Thanks for the review!

**Doom Marine 54: **Well, Lelouch hasn't made any mistakes. _Yet. _And while he is definitely wiser than before he is still a young boy and most importantly _human. _So you can count on things going haywire in the definite future. That includes a few deaths which may cause emotional trauma. Thnaks for the review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** A filler chapter. I had to go through and get out all the starting episodes before the exciting stuff starts to happen. So yes, this is a filler chapter with nothing major happening but I would still like it if you read it. The characters may seem a bit shallow but look out for the minor characters. The changes made by Lelouch may end up elevating them to major character. Consider it a small spoiler. Enjoy!**

"_**Even now it comes as a shock if by chance I notice in the street a face resembling someone I know however slightly, and I am at once seized by a shivering violent enough to make me dizzy."-**_

_**No Longer Human**_

**Chapter 5: Interactions**

"I know who you are." Euphie grinned as she turned around and looked at him.

Suzaku smiled a bit as the events played out as he remembered them. It made him feel nostalgic. It was with a slight jolt that he realized just how much he had missed this. He had dreamed about it every day after the SAZ incident and the dreams only ended with her lying lifeless with a smile on her face.

But the reason he was doing this was to make sure it didn't end that way again.

"You are quite a celebrity you know. The eldest son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, Private Suzaku Kururugi." He couldn't help the grimace at that. He never wanted to be a celebrity nor did he want to be remembered as the son of the last Prime Minister of Japan. He already had the title of a traitor and this was just another label on him. Luckily she didn't notice him grimacing but just flounced away.

"There were no men following you were they?" He asked, though he knew she would be with Arthur by now.

And just as he predicted she was sitting by the injured cat making light cat noises. He felt another smile light up his face at the image. He had missed her. He clutched the cell phone that was safely stored in his pocket. He wanted to contact Lelouch- but he guessed that it could wait for some more time.

For now he wanted to spend some time with her and forget the fact that he had come here to stop a bigger tragedy from taking place.

For some reason, even the small details of their first meeting were engraved in his mind.

He walked towards Euphie and she lifted the cat towards him. He held out his finger though he already knew what would happen.

He winced when Arthur hissed and bit his finger but smiled a moment later at the sheepish look on Euphie's face.

Yes, he had missed it more than he wanted to admit.

* * *

Lelouch sat by the chess board and contemplated his next step. This was a crucial stage and even the slightest of changes could affect the whole outcome. And he would prefer not changing any major events so early in the game as the future he knew may not be valid anymore.

"So what do you plan on doing with this power of yours?" CC lazed on his bed and looked at him with her piercing golden eyes. Lelouch felt a sense of Deja vu- which wasn't surprising given that he did have this conversation before- so he kept his back to the Witch and played with the pieces of the chess board.

"I plan to defeat Britannia." Lelouch didn't have to look back to see her sit up straight and pay more attention t their conversation.

"Defeat Britannia?"

"Yes."

A slight hum from her as she settled back into a more comfortable position.

"The power I gave you might be an advantage in most situations but it still won't help you win against a whole nation."

"I don't have to win against a whole nation do I? I just need to win against the Emperor. If I can use my Geass on the Emperor, victory will be mine." He grinned as he moved the black pawn. Of course he knew that it was easier said than done but the Witch didn't have to know that.

"And you think it's so easy to get to the Emperor?" CC's voice was as blank as ever but Lelouch knew her long enough to tell that she was silently mocking him.

"Of course it isn't. But that's what makes it fun." With a smirk he got up and stood by the window overlooking the courtyard. He saw Nunnally and Sayoko going on their daily round around the campus and his eyes softened a bit.

"Don't you think Brittania is too strong to defeat all by yourself even with the power of your Geass?" She questioned him again, and he blinked at the sudden intrusive nature she was displaying. Normally she asked a question only once and then held back anything else she had in mind.

It seemed like the witch was going to be persistent in her line of questioning. Of course, she had told him that he didn't need to answer if he didn't want too but he was sure that she could be collecting intel for Marianne all the same.

He had to be careful of what he told her.

This was, unfortunately, far from the Witch he had grown close to and was now just a willing pawn in his father's plans.

"Who ever said that it is good to be strong and bad to be weak?" He asked.

When she didn't answer, unlike last time, and kept staring at him he continued, "I think that weakness is the greatest strength anyone could have." Lelouch glanced back and smirked at the raised eyebrow before further explaining, "Being weak helps you to adapt and evolve along with the changes around you. You don't perish in one go but adapt to the conditions around you and make the best of it."

"Like your sister did."

Lelouch stayed silent for a moment to let it sink in before nodding. "Just like she has done."

"But the world doesn't think that way does it?" CC asked.

"That's why I am trying to change the world for the better. To show them that being strong doesn't always equate to being good." Lelouch shook his head. "The world is stuck in a cycle of hatred and I am going to end it. And I will start by crushing Britannia."

"How idealistic." She still retained the same mocking tone he was so used to hearing by now. Instead of irritation he felt comforted that underneath that entire rough exterior the CC he had known and grown to care for was still there.

"I am far from idealistic. The world doesn't have time for ideals right now. The ends are far more important than the means." He grabbed his jacket before making his way towards the door.

"I think you would understand that better than me Witch, about how the world works." And with that he left the room and CC behind staring after him speechlessly.

"That's one interesting son you got there Marianne." She smiled to herself as she flopped back on the bed.

* * *

"No one should loose anyone they love." Suzaku clenched his hands into a fist as be remembered the way Euphie lain on her death bed with a smile still on the face.

The events had gone same like it had done in the original timeline. With the Japanese and Britannian men clashing and Suzaku stuck in between them. And just like last time it was Euphie who had stepped forward to defend him.

"My father….. He died because of me." He was aware of Euphie's surprised gaze and he himself was shocked that he revealed this so easily. He didn't remember himself telling her about it until he gave up his Knighthood. Even then it was because he couldn't take lying to her anymore and it was after Lelouch and Kallen found out.

"Because of you?" Euphie's tone was slow and deliberate like she was trying to understand what he was trying to say.

"I-" He turned away from her. "I killed my father." He saw her jerk back from the corner of his eye and that action hurt a lot more than any of her words could.

"You kill- but why?" Suzaku glanced at her and her look of complete incomprehension. He suddenly realized that the members of the Royal Family were sheltered in their own way and the only reason anyone would kill another member was to get the throne. Even in that case Euphie was too caring and kind to even contemplate hurting her siblings even for her gain. So there was no way she could understand why Suzaku had killed his father.

She may sympathize but not understand.

The only reason Lelouch had understood was because he had walked along with Suzaku through the field of dead bodies that had piled up due to the war his father refused to surrender in.

"Maybe because I wanted to end the war as quickly as possible and Fathers 'Do or Die' resistance didn't seem to have any impact except for the death of more people." He replied.

"You don't seem so sure about the reason." He turned towards her, blinking in surprise.

He opened his mouth to answer before closing it again. Euphie looked at him with her head tilted like she was waiting for him to explain.

Which he wasn't sure he could.

"I also did it to save someone." It was better he left it at that. Despite the fact that he knew Euphie could keep a secret he had promised that he would never reveal Lelouch and Nunnally's location to anyone.

The time with VV didn't count because he had already got to Nunnally before he came to Suzaku. Suzaku guessed it was to have leverage over him in case he disagreed to catch Lelouch.

"Save someone?" Euphie frowned and he knew she was wondering who could be more important than his own father. He shrugged without offering up any more information.

Just then, an explosion was heard and Suzaku's attention was drawn towards the abandoned stadium. He resisted the urge to curse as he saw smoke rising from it.

Last time he had gone in there was to save Jeremiah Gottwald who was thought to be a corrupt official trying to hide something when he let Zero get away. But this time Lelouch was careful to frame Kewell for it and Suzaku was sure that Jeremiah would never stoop so low as to try to kill one of his comrade no matter how questionable he was.

So the question was if it was Kewell being attacked or Jeremiah.

A van came speeding towards them before screeching to a stop before them.

"Looks like the purebloods are having a squabble." Lloyd popped out of the van as he too looked towards the stadium.

"It's better that we get out of here as soon as possible." Cecelie interjected as she looked at them worriedly. But running away was the last thing on Suzaku's mind. He had to know what was going on.

Despite the fact that Kewell was the one to let Zero go he knew that the others won't overlook the fact that Jeremiah was taken along with them. The fact that he was let go unharmed despite being the acting consulate in the absence of a Viceroy by itself was suspicious. Combining it with the fact that Zero had no problem killing the Viceroy but let the Acting Consulate go led Suzaku to believe that things would anyways lead down the same path like last time.

So he had to go and rescue Jeremiah if the man was in trouble.

Because despite the disgust the man felt towards Numbers in general Suzaku knew that he had the grudging respect of 'Orange boy' as CC liked to call him. And that respect was returned in its fullest.

"Lloyd, don't you think this would be the best time to collect battle data for the Lancelot?" He saw Lloyds eyes light up with interest and knew he had him there.

"Euphie, please do not follow us into the battlefield. I don't think I can forgive myself if anything were to hurt you." He looked at her earnestly, hoping she would listen to him and stay back.

The look on her face dashed any hopes he had.

He reflected that it wasn't so different from the strength in Nunnally's smile and determination in Lelouch's eyes. He shook his head and stepped back to turn towards Lloyd. He had tried but he couldn't draw attention to the fact that he knew who Euphie really was or it would be suspicious since hadn't even make her public debut yet.

So he had to let her do what she had done last time and shield her from the attack.

"Lancelot is ready to launch." Cecelie declared.

Now to rescue Jeremiah.

* * *

"I am not the one who was carted away by Zero and then left unharmed." Kewell shouted still firing.

"What are you talking about?" Jeremiah ground out trying to hold his ground. He had thought he could get more answers from Zero but this was turning out to be an ambush.

When he got the report that Zero had been spotted in an abandoned stadium in Shinjuku Ghetto he hadn't hesitated to rush to the spot. Now that he thought about it he should have taken Villeta as a backup at the very least.

Now he was stuck in a fight where it was 4 against 1.

"You were the one who Zero took away and held captive for only a few hours before leaving you unharmed. Why would he do that if you weren't in league with him?" Jeremiah moved out of the way as a Slash Harken shot towards him. It didn't stop the other Frame from slamming into him causing him to wobble a bit as he fought to regain his balance.

"What about you then? You were the one who let him get away in the first place!" Jeremiah snapped.

"I didn-" Kewell broke off and Jeremiah could hear another barrage of bullets but nothing was hitting his Knightmare Frame. He didn't have to wonder for long as he noticed the other three soldiers turning on Kewell.

"Jeremiah is right. You were the one who let them go." The solider who shot Kewell spoke up.

"But it was Jeremiah who was-" Kewell was cut off as he tried to dodge the Slash Harken sent towards him.

"You don't need to worry about him. We will take care of both of you before Viceroy Cornelia comes to Japan. It is the only way to ensure that the pure blood names remain clean."

Jeremiah shook his head, his frustration clear on his face. The Purists factions were supposed to be better than this but they were all breaking apart. He tried to move to the side but there was another Knightmare Frame blocking his path. That was when Villeta joined in the fray.

Now it was 2 against 3. He was still unwilling to count Kewell on his side and the fact that they had betrayed Kewell left him stranded. Kewell managed to break away from the Knightmare frame that was holding him down and come to their side but the Knightmare immediately fired a Slash Harken that took out his legs and sent him crashing into the wall beside them.

Jeremiah gritted his teeth as he considered their odds. Villeta was the only one with a fully functional Knightmare. He had taken too many hits and even Kewell was out. Despite the fact that Villeta was a capable pilot eve she couldn't shield him as well as fight them at the same time.

Just when he thought that they were done for the White Knightmare joined the battle. Jeremiah stared at it for a few moments in surprise. He remembered it being the test model by Lloyd Asplund that he was supposed to try out on the day of the Shinjuku Ghetto incident.

"What is the Knightmare doing here?" He muttered staring at the sleek design that was standing atop the stadium. He knew that the Knightmare had been deployed that day and they had gotten a new pilot that helped decimate most of the Britannian forces that day but he didn't know who the pilot was yet.

"Please stop fighting. We are all on the same side." That voice….. He couldn't keep himself from gaping as he realized who was piloting the advanced Knightmare Frame.

Suzaku Kururugi.

He continued to stare numbly as Suzaku deftly countered all their attacks and came to stand by him. Villeta was standing on the other side and he knew that the odds were in their favor. He had seen what the 7th Gen Knightmare Frame was capable of and he could almost feel their hesitance in attacking again. But Jeremiah knew his comrades and knew that they wouldn't take well to the fact that they were being shown up by anyone who they considered below them. So it was a given that didn't believe they were giving up when they lowered their swords.

It seemed like neither did Kururugi when he put up his Blaze Luminous Shield.

And right in time too as the barrage of bullets battered the shield. For a moment Jeremiah thought it wouldn't hold against a Chaos Mine but it surprisingly did. Kewell still seemed to be unconscious which Jeremiah thought was a shame. He would have loved to see the look on Kewell's face when he realized that it was an Eleven who had saved him.

Ignoring the fact that the Eleven had saved him too.

"Stop this." Jeremiah frowned as he spotted a girl walking across the field towards the other Knightmare Frames. He would have done something of he didn't realize who it was.

"I am Euphemia li Britannia, the 3rd Princess of the Britannian Empire. I am assuming command here. I order you to stop at once." Jeremiah blinked at the stance that she held. He had known the Princess since she was very young and while he didn't spend much time around her especially after the assassination of Lady Marianne, of what he remembered of her she was more like Princess Nunnally then Princess Cornelia.

So it was surprising to see her take command like she had been doing it all her life.

Jeremiah kept on staring as the Eleven got out and bowed down to her. They exchanged a few words that he could not hear but he didn't want to. He was still reeling from the events that had taken place and the sight of the Princess did nothing to lower the shock.

The past few days was just one shock after another but there was still one question lingering in his mind

Why had the Eleven come to save someone who had condemned him to death?

* * *

Lelouch recalled what today entitled so he wasn't as surprised as last time to see Suzaku standing in front of the class and introducing himself.

Lelouch looked at Suzaku before glancing around the class. It looked like the general feeling of dislike against Elevens hadn't changed much since the last time. Most of his classmates were looking at Suzaku with common expressions of hate and distrust.

It irritated Lelouch.

But there was nothing he could do about it. If he moved too fast there was a chance of changing the timeline and there was no way he wanted to take more risk. He would talk to Milly about inducting Suzaku into the Student Council but that would have to wait for a few more days.

For now he just had to sit back and let Suzaku take the brunt of the abuse.

Or maybe he could Geass the other students into leaving Suzaku alone. But that may not be as beneficial as he hoped in case he needed to use his geass on them again.

He rubbed his forehead as he saw Suzaku take a seat. At least the meeting with Euphie seemed to have gone without a hitch. If it hadn't then Suzaku wouldn't be here. That itself was enough to have Lelouch shaking his head. If Suzaku wasn't enrolled at Ashford it would have made things a lot more difficult.

It was hard enough to be collaborating when they were in school together let alone when they would have no valid reason to meet out of the building.

The class had begun but Lelouch found his thoughts wandering. He had to be careful who he used his Geass on. He wanted to delay the permanent Geass in his left eye if possible.

And then there was a problem of Jeremiah. He knew he could get the man to his side but he wanted him to be equipped with the Geass Canceller. Of course, he didn't want Jeremiah wounded in battle to get the Geass Canceller implanted in him but he didn't see any other way. Maybe instead of turning Jeremiah into a half cyborg he could save the man and contact Bartley separately to create a geass canceller. There were still a lot of things he had to think about and not enough time.

He rested his cheek on his palm as his gaze slid back to where Suzaku was sitting. His head was bent over the book and Lelouch knew that Suzaku wasn't really engrossed in it. He had already gone through all of this before and there was no reason for his to break his head over it again.

He blinked when Suzaku raised his head to meet his eyes.

A tug on the collar and Lelouch knew they had to talk.

Smiling, he turned back to the front.

It was starting.

* * *

Milly Ashford was curious. She was a naturally curious person by nature and object of her curiosity this time- most of the times actually- was one Lelouch Lamperouge. She knew his true history and why he acted the way he did but he had changed. It wasn't anything major but when you knew a person for 7 years even the smallest details fail to escape you.

And while there were no outright changes it was the small things like the way he smiled more often nowadays and actually paid attention to the Student Council that clued her in to the fact that something had changed.

A talk with Nunnally had just confirmed the fact when even his sister agreed that Lelouch seemed to be happier nowadays.

At first Milly had a small doubt that it was a girl but that was doubtful. Even though Lelouch was capable of love it was only with people he formed some sort of connection with. And Milly was quite confident in her gossip connections that if there was a girl who Lelouch was paying extra attention to it wouldn't have escaped her radar.

But that still led to a dead end.

So what was it?

She made a short frustrated voice glad that there was no one in the Student Council room currently to witness her frustration. She was the Queen of Cool and for her to lose it wasn't a sight she wanted anyone else to witness.

"Madame President. I am glad I could catch you here." Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Lelouch! What brings you to the Club House by your own accord?" Milly asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I am not here to do any paperwork." He sent a stern look her way which she returned with a grin.

"I saw this cat loitering outside." It was only when he said that did Milly notice him holding a black feline in his hands.

"A cat?" Milly questioned coming in closer to inspect it. It was quite cute if she said so herself but she still didn't understand why Lelouch had bought it here. As far as she knew Lelouch held no special love towards felines of any kind so it was uncharacteristic of him to bring one in here.

"I thought he could be kind of a school pet." Lelouch shrugged and she turned towards him with her eyebrows raised. It was uncharacteristic itself for Lelouch to show any interest in animals but for him to suggest to adopt one as a pet was something she hadn't thought he would ever do.

"The Student Council can do with a pet no doubt." She replied thoughtfully as she scratched the cat behind its ears. It made a quiet noise in contentment and snuggled deeper into Lelouch's arms. Maybe it wasn't a girl that made Lelouch so happy.

She risked a glance at Lelouch only to see him looking down at the cat with a thoughtful expression.

While any other time she would have thought that it would be too farfetched for Lelouch to have any kind of affection of animals the evidence pointed to the contrary. The change in behavior, the sweet actions towards Student Council members and the attention paid by him towards them only suggested towards one thing.

That Lelouch was fond of this cat and had been buttering up the Student Council Members so that when he asked for the cat to be kept as a pet they wouldn't reject.

She smiled at the reasoning and shook her head catching Lelouch's attention.

"Prez?"

"Really Lelouch! You didn't go through such extreme changes just to get us to agree. Of course we will keep him as a pet if you want." She grinned at the flabbergasted look on Lelouch's face and was sure that he was surprised that she figured him out so quickly.

"Of course there will be a festival to celebrate it." She winked at him. "And guess who is the incharge of the budget?"

Lelouch made a face at her and she laughed.

She knew that despite his vehement protests against most of her decisions he valued her as a friend and someone who understood what he went through. So it was her job to support him and try to make him feel like he _belonged_ here.

And with the way he smiled at her, she knew that she had at least somewhat succeeded.

* * *

"Hey there. Do you need any help?"

Suzaku looked up into the smiling face of Shirley Fenette. He took a sharp breath as he remembered the last time he saw her, lying in a pool of her own blood.

She frowned.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing's wrong." He smiled reassuringly but it was still shaky. He hadn't had this reaction when he met Euphie maybe because he had been mentally preparing himself for it since he landed in this dimension. He just never thought he would come face to face with Shirley this soon.

It was one thing seeing her around campus and another to be talking with her. As far as he remembered she hadn't approached him until the Arthur incident. And he and Lelouch had decided that they couldn't take the risk of Lelouch's identity being revealed so the mask would be kept well out of reach of the feline.

But that meant that Lelouch couldn't openly ask Milly to induct Suzaku into the Council. Lelouch said that he would anyways ask Milly within a few days but it would be different from last time where he had a more positive reaction since he had saved Lelouch.

"Let me help you." She bent down beside him and helped him collecting the papers.

He hadn't had such a reaction even when he met Nunnally again a few days ago. Maybe because Nunnally had been safe in his original timeline and not dead.

A comfortable silence filled the air as they worked quietly. The bullying was as bad as before and Suzaku had to say that it was one thing about Ashford that he didn't miss. Bumping him into him intentionally and causing his notes to scatter was one of the mild ways of bullying but it seemed to give immense satisfaction to the others.

"There you go. All done." She grinned at him as they both got up and she handed him the notes.

"Thank you so much." He half bowed and she giggled.

"Don't need to thank me. It's my duty to help a friend in need."

"Friend?" He blinked.

"Oh, was I too fast? Sorry. Lelouch always says that I am too comfortable around people." She laughed awkwardly before offering her hand. "My name is Shirley Fenette and I am a member of the Student Council as well as the swim club."

He gingerly shook her hand. "I am Suzaku Kururugi. Pleased to meet you."

"I doubt there's anyone who doesn't know who you are." She doesn't say it in the way Euphie does, all smiles and laughter, but in her own subdued way with a sympathetic smile.

Despite that Suzaku relaxed and smiled back, "Somebody did tell me that I am quite the celebrity."

Shirley chuckled. "That you are."

"Thank you. For helping me." He said again as he turned to make his way towards the base.

"Wait a minute. You haven't joined a club yet right?" She asked, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her.

He warily shook his head. At that she grinned widely. "Great! Why don't you join the Student Council? I am sure Milly could do with one more scapego- I mean person to help her."

"I am not sure that-" He bagan but was immediately cut off.

"Oh don't be like that. I am sure Milly and the others would love to have you." She looked at him hopefully and he felt a pang of nostalgia.

He often thought that without Lelouch he would be an outsider in Ashford no matter what he did or became. But it never occurred to him that his other friends didn't become friends with him just because Lelouch asked them too.

For the first time he realized that even if Lelouch hadn't asked Milly to put him in the Student Council, there were others who would have approached him.

"I would have asked you sooner but Rivalz had stopped me. Don't worry. He doesn't have anything against you. He just thought I would've come on too strong." She hurriedly explained taking his silence for something else.

"Thank you." He was mortified to hear his voice all choked up but there was something about this that had touched him.

She stopped and stared at him. "I told you already. You don't need to thank your friends." She patted him on the shoulder and made her way back towards the club house. "I will talk to Milly and let you know." She waved one last time before jogging away.

He stood there for a few moments trying to control his emotions. When he was sure that he wouldn't start crying randomly, he slowly made his way out of school and towards the base.

It was dawning on him just how big of a job did he and Lelouch have in front of them. At first it was a simple plan of minimizing the casualties. But now it was clear that every small change they made led to something bigger. And while Shirley being the one to talk to him first wasn't such a big deal, it made him think about what other big things small changes could lead to.

Just because they were changing the original timeline didn't mean that the other timeline didn't have death in store for the people who are supposed to originally die.

He rubbed his head. It was getting a bit too much for him to bear. He would have to talk with Lelouch about it before he started going mad with worry.

But for now all he could do was go with the flow and wait for the main events to start.

* * *

"Lulu! Are you there?" Shirley called out as she entered.

"Shirley. What brings you here?" Lelouch asked as he folded the newspaper he was reading. Nunnally turned to look at the new comer.

"You are home." Shirley blinked in surprise.

"Of course I am. I and Nunnally were having tea. Care to join us?" Lelouch offered. Nunnally smiled widely. Lelouch knew that Shirley was surprised because he was rarely homes in the afternoon, often out finding new matches to gamble in with Rivalz.

"Why not?" Shirley took the seat beside Nunnally. "You are making paper cranes. Let me help." She smiled as she took a sheet of paper and began folding it carefully.

"Of course." Nunnally smiled as she continued with her creation and Lelouch could see Sayoko smiling as she stood to the side.

"Why this surprise visit? Came to see if I went gambling or not?" He asked, amused.

"I told you before that gambling is not a good habit and a waste of your brilliant brain-" She stopped in mid-sentence. "Anyways that isn't what I came for." She waved her free hand around.

"So what did you want?" He asked curiously. Maybe she wanted to ask him out on another date but it didn't seem so since she didn't look or act nervous like she normally did if she was going to ask him out. But there wasn't anything else Lelouch could think of that she might have wanted.

"I want you to talk to Milly about having Suzaku Kururugi join the Student Council." He stopped in mid sip to stare at her and he could see Nunnally stop in her actions to listen.

"What?" He asked wondering if he had correctly.

"Look I know that you all think he is dangerous and I get that he is an Eleven but he seems to be a really sweet person. And friends aren't made by seeing their blood are they?" She said in a rush.

"So you want Suzaku to join the Council?"

Shirley nodded. "I don't mind talking to Milly about it myself but I thought she would listen to you more than to me since you are the Vice President."

Lelouch continued to stare at her in surprise. It was Nunnally's voice that broke him out of his stupor.

"I think that's a great idea!" She turned towards Lelouch. "Don't you think so Lelouch? Then Suzaku will be more accepted by other students as well." Looking at the hopeful smile on Nunnally's face he knew there was no way he could say no. Not that he would say no in the first place. Suzaku was a cherished member of the Student Council in the old timeline too.

"You both know Suzaku already?"

Lelouch turned toward her but before he could even think of any reply Nunnally spoke out. "He is an old friend who helped us a lot during the war."

He stared at Shirley silently as she looked shocked at the revelation. "Old friend?" He braced himself for the questions that were sure to come but instead she glared at him.

"Why didn't you talk to Milly about this before then? Really Lulu! If you call him your friend then you should behave like one." He blinked as a small smile lit up his face. Shirley Fenette hadn't changed at all. She was as kind as he remembered her to be.

"I was just waiting for the case about Prince Clovis to die down so that he wouldn't be even more targeted by everyone." Lelouch shrugged.

"That makes sense but-"She gave him a stern look. "You should talk to Madame President now and convince her."

He smiled and nodded. "Of course. I am sure that Suzaku too would be happier by being a part of the Student Council."

Shirley grinned and turned towards Nunnally who also looked happy at this turn of events. Lelouch slowly sipped his tea as he made note of the way things were proceeding. Shirley's interference- while not unwelcome- cemented the fact that there were a few things that were inevitable. It seemed like Suzaku joining the Student Council was one of them.

It was still too early to tell what effect could the changes Lelouch was planning bring to the whole plan but he had to start taking the risk.

After all that's what he had come for.

And that was what he was going to do- even if it meant wreaking havoc on the Britannian Empire once again.

**Author Notes:**** As I said, Filler chapter. No Kallen because she doesn't play that huge a role in the initial episodes. Of course, from the next chapter on wards the scenes will be better drafted including interactions between Kallen and the rest of the Black Knights. And Saitamo Ghetto and Cornelia! Not to forget the hotel jacking and Nina. Thank you for your patience!**

**Review Replies: **

**Chimera629: Since its merely the beginning I doubt there will be any dramatic change in Lelouch's character. Thanks for the review!**

**Nahte123456 and BlackTyrantValvatorez: Questions about pairings are always the hardest to answer. But I will say that don't decide on anything yet. There hasn't been much of interactions between the characters yet (like Kallen) and as for the couples that seem nearly confirmed (SuzaEuphie) please don't think its confirmed. My mind is a fickle place and I may break them up if required. And you never know who might end up dead so lets see.**

**Lord Joyde, TokusatsuLuv, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Above the winter moonlight, god of all, Titanfire999, saint sita: Thanks for the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:****I got several questions asking about the speed and lack of depth in the story. I want to clarify that I am not well versed in the depth of politics and battles. I am more focused on the relationships between the different characters than the fights and battles. Needless to say there will be a lot of conflict and changes coming up but it may be more subtle rather than all-out war of good vs evil. It will address the major plot holes in the series. (Why did Genbu want to kill Lelouch and Nunnally and if there was something deeper that we don't see). So please be patient with me.**

**_Leadership is not a position or title; it is an action and example._**

**Chapter 6: Victory in Battle**

"Sir, we have detected a disturbance in the World of C."

"Disturbance?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I am sure that you would not have come to me to report this unless it is something out of the ordinary."

"We have been investigating but are unable to find the cause of it even now."

"When did this disturbance take place?"

"About a month ago."

"And why wasn't I notified of it then?"

"Because it didn't seem important. The disturbance was a small one that was mainly internally focused and couldn't be easily detected on the surface."

"What changed your mind about it?"

"A ripple in reality."

A short moment of silence.

"Explain."

"The consciousness, Sir, seemed to know more than they should know."

There was another moment of silence.

"Keep an eye on things for now and keep me reported." The man bowed once more before leaving.

The boy on the throne smiled. This was going to be more interesting than he had thought.

* * *

Cornelia li Brittania walked around the Engineering Corps Hanger with Earl Asplund in tow. She looked around and noticed the Eleven boy sitting with another one of Asplund's assistant. He seemed to be doing some kind of school work.

She frowned but didn't comment.

She knew it had been Euphie's decision to enroll the boy in a school but just because she hadn't made a big deal out if it didn't mean she had to agree with it. The boy was still an Eleven and a part of the country that had taken half of the siblings she cared about away from her.

Even though he was on her side, that fact didn't endear him to her.

"So he was the one who piloted the 7th Generation Knightmare Frame." She glanced at the giant looming structure and had to admit that it looked rather impressive. What was more impressive was the sync percentage that Asplund had showed her.

It seemed that this boy had some real talent.

Too bad he was a Number.

Still, he had capability that she could use. "I am promoting him to a Warrant Officer. That should keep him happy." She glanced back at the boy who was bent over his school work. "I am trying to win without having to rely too much on a Number."

She turned and made her way out.

Now she had to plan for Zero.

* * *

Suzaku slumped over the table as he tried to make sense of the words written on the book. He had already gone through all this once so it was easier than before but he was still unused to regular school work.

"You are doing well enough on your own." Cecelie smiled at him.

"Thank you for your help. The Student Council is also trying to help but I guess I am just not used to all this." He grinned sheepishly.

"To be honest I was actually quite worried about you." He blinked and looked up at her. He searched his brain foe what they had been talking about in the other timeline but came up empty.

"About how you would fit in with the others. But it seems you are doing quite well." She smiled and it clicked in Suzaku's mind.

"Well, I met an old friend of mine who smoothed things out for me. And there was another girl from the Student Council who approached me and asked me to join the Student Council." He was still not over the fact that he ended up being a part of the Student Council even without Arthur's help in the end.

He knew that Lelouch would have anyways talked to Milly if Shirley hadn't approached him first. But she did and he felt a bit better because of it.

"Come on now! Time to pack up everyone!" Lloyd waved his hands. "Hip hip horray! That's all folks." Suzaku just grinned, already used to Lloyds weird antics by now.

"Go on. Go to school. Classes might have been over by now but you can still meet your friends. It's important that you have a social life too." Cecelie waved him away. He smiled thankfully before going into the Locker room to change. If he had the timing right then Cornelia would now be setting a trap for Zero at Saitamo Ghetto. Even though he knew that Lelouch could take care of himself he couldn't help but worry.

He didn't know what exactly happened in the last timeline in Saitama Ghetto since Lelouch had avoided telling him but he guessed it couldn't be anything too bad since he had gotten out of it. Or CC had somehow saved him like she did at Narita. He might've to have a talk with Lelouch about not being too reckless which was kind of ironic since it was Suzaku who normally acted impulsively.

Changing into his school uniform, he glanced at the Lancelot one last time before exiting. There was nothing for him to do now except sit and wait for Lelouch to finish what he was planning and get back to him.

* * *

"Are you really going to walk into her trap?" CC asked, her eyes narrowed as Lelouch packed the things he would need.

"They did go through a lot of trouble to invite me didn't they?"

He turned to leave only to find CC standing by the door with a gun in her hand. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the familiar gesture.

"I will not allow you to die."

"By shooting me yourself?" He asked sardonically.

"I won't kill you. Just shoot your leg to keep you here." Her eyes were blank and Lelouch realized that he liked his CC more. She did mock him but she was also sympathetic at times and went along with his plans more easily no matter how crazy or suicidal they were.

"Well then." He bought out his own gun and put it to his head. "You leave me no choice." He resisted the urge to smirk as her eyes widened then narrowed.

"It's your choice."

* * *

Cornelia looked at the screen. Her troops were spread out and she had recreated the Shinjuku Ghetto formation. She knew that Zero loved theatrics and there was no way he would ignore this blatant invitation.

"Is everything in place?" She asked looking at the Generals milling about. They looked up at her and she felt perverse satisfaction on noticing their slightly scared looks. Things had been too laid back here under Clovis's rule. She would have none of it when she was in charge. She demanded discipline and efficiency and the laid back attitude of the soldiers in Area 11 would not be tolerated.

She wanted Zero. And she would get him.

"The conditions are similar to Shinjuku. There is no way Zero would be able to resist it." She smirked. Normally she would be in her Knightmare Frame ready to go out along with the others but this was a mission to capture Zero and not to eradicate the Numbers.

Once Zero was caught she would make sure to pay special attention to him. She would make sure to make him pay for what he did to her brother. Zero would become a lesson to all the terrorists who dared to overstep the boundaries and cause harm to others with their barbarism. The same barbarism that had led to the death of Lelouch and Nunnally too. It would set an example not only for Area 11 but the rest of the areas too.

"We are ready to get started Princess." Guilford was in his flight suit and Cornelia just nodded as a smug smile lit up her face.

Zero was going down.

* * *

Lelouch stood on the platform looking around at the destruction around him. It was a shame that he had to face everything again and rebuild everything but if it would help to save a few more lives than it would be worth it. His initial plan had been to let the Saitama Ghetto destruction go as Cornelia planned without any interference but he remembered the reason he had come back.

It wasn't only to save the lives of the people he cared about but also others who died for the cause they believed in and innocents who died in vain.

He fingered the phone he had procured to communicate with the Yamoto Alliance and the Black Knights. He knew that they were a bit wary of him but there was no way he could reveal how he knew of the attack before it was announced. He managed to convince them that he had an inside informant but they were still a bit wary. But the thought of saving their fellow people were stronger than any mistrust so they agreed to work with him.

The phone rang.

"Zero, we have secured out positions." Minami's voice came through.

"Very well. Hold on and await further orders." Before he could keep down the phone Minami spoke up.

"Zero?"

"Yes?"

"Can we win against the Goddess of Victory?" Lelouch paused as he thought about the loaded question.

"What according to you is a win?" The silence on the other end prompted him to continue speaking. "Is it destroying the Britannian Forces or successfully rescuing your fellow citizens? I assure you that this 'eradication' is only a tactic to draw me out."

"Then why are you here?"

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch glanced at the watch. "What kind of leader would I be if I hid in the shadows and let my people die in place of me?" The silence on the other line made Lelouch smirk. It seemed like gaining their trust this time around would be easier as compared to the last if only because he knew their doubts about him.

"Get ready. It's nearly time." He broke the silence.

"Yes, Zero."

This time, he would win.

* * *

"Kallen!" The girl shook her head and glanced at the screen. Ohgi was peering worriedly at her. "Are you alright?"

She blinked as she tried to get her bearings. It wasn't the time to be spacing out now. They were on a very important mission that could save hundreds of lives if executed properly. And Kallen wanted nothing more than to save of her countrymen even if it came at the cost of her own life.

"I am perfectly fine." She replied, switching on the face spheres and keeping an eye on any sign of moment. Her gaze automatically landed on the screen where she could see many people collected in masses as they waited to be rescued. That was her job. Ohgi was in a separate Knightmare frame and so were a few others. They were all huddled around the large group of people who looked worse for wear yet happy that someone had come to their rescue. The Yamoto Alliance had been thankful for their intervention and had agreed to help them. Kallen had sensed the slight distrust they had towards her due to her looks but a swift look from her comrades had ended that.

She had turned off her IVF signal so that she couldn't be traced but the adrenaline was still rushing through her veins as she recalled that it wasn't the incompetent Clovis that they were up against but a war veteran who was also called the Witch of Britannia. Kallen wasn't unaware of the threat that Cornelia posed towards them especially after the destruction of a few well-known terrorists groups.

But she also believed that with Zero by their side they could do anything.

The man himself was nowhere to be found but he had assured them that he would be keeping an eye and relaying orders as Cornelia's troops entered the Ghettos. She felt uneasy about letting her commander out in the open without any safety but she knew that no one was safe.

"There are a few more minutes for the attack to start." Shinji, a member of Yamoto Alliance spoke up. He was even younger than Kallen and it made her realize that this war had affected _everyone_ and not only her loved ones. It drove home the fact that until Britannia ruled over them there would never be peace and happiness for anyone.

"Hold in there Kid." Kallen took a deep breath.

"This is going to be one heck of a battle." Kenji, the twin brother of Shinji, sounded more excited and Kallen had to wince at his tone. She had also felt the same rush of anticipation and excitement along with hope when she first joined the resistance but that had soon changed when she realized that it was less fun when it was a matter of life and death. It was reinforced when Naoto died.

"It looks like they commenced their attack." Inoue's voice echoed in the cockpit and Kallen's grip tightened over the controls. Even though the place was deserted she didn't like the fact that Britannians thought themselves great enough to have the right to kill other people. She also felt fission of worry for Inoue who was keeping an eye and reporting news from the surface. Even though she knew that the girl had a Knightmare Frame of her own she had lost too many people to let that calm her.

Kallen didn't need Inoue to inform her about the troops since she could already hear the blasts and the ground shaking as the Britannians descended upon the Ghettos. She gritted her teeth as she waited for the orders. She could feel her heart beat faster as the roof shook when the Knightmare Frames passed over them.

The underground tunnel they were hiding in was far from stable but Zero had assured them that they would hold unless the Knightmare Frames specifically targeted it. And she knew that the Britannian Forces would concentrate on the Ghettos before turning towards the old subway lines.

Zero had also told them that it was a trap set for him rather than a normal eradication of Numbers practice that seemed to be common in the Areas. Kallen had a hard time believing it at first but as she noticed the pattern to be similar to the one in Shinjuku Ghetto she felt herself and the others silently agreeing with Zero's assessment of what was happening.

They were hoping that the men placed in the Knightmare Frames above would be enough to distract the soldiers enough to make their escape. Kallen held no illusions about the fact that they would still face opposition from the Knightmare Frames guarding the other end of the exit but it was already confirmed that the Knightmare Frames were very few in numbers and could easily be taken on by her and the others.

"Is everyone else going to be okay?" Shinji's voice seemed to echo her concern. She wanted to assure him that it will be alright but she couldn't get the words past her throat. She knew that she would be lying if she said anything like that since it was a known fact that there would be casualties above. Zero had promised to keep it to the minimum but not everyone could be saved.

It was one of the reasons why the Yamoto Alliance had sent Shinji and Kenji with them instead of keeping the boys on the ground. Kallen could sympathize with the sentiment of not wanting to cause the death of children who weren't supposed to be fighting in the first place.

"They are going to give it their all." Ohgi's voice rang out. "So you people also give your best."

There were a few moments of silence before the replies came simultaneously. "Sir, yes Sir!"

She glanced at the shivering mass of people again as determination filled her.

They were her people and it was up to her and her comrades to save them.

* * *

"Abandoned?" Cornelia frowned as she tried to understand what was happening. Everything was going according to plan but Guilford had called in to inform that the Ghettos were mostly deserted. There were no people. It was like they had escaped. Of course there were still a few Knightmare Frames occupied by the resistance groups but it was far less than what they had expected.

Cornelia didn't know how Zero managed to carry it out but she knew for a fact that he was behind it. She had first surrounded the Ghetto and then announced the purge that she was planning. Yet Zero had managed to get a wind of what she was going to do before and managed to evacuate the people.

That meant they had a traitor amongst the ranks. That thought make her grit her teeth but there was still something wrong.

It still didn't make sense to her.

Her people had been monitoring the Ghetto till this very morning and there were hundreds of people walking on the streets. Her soldiers had made sure that not many people left the Ghetto and she was sure that there were hundreds of people crowding the streets before she had arrived. But where had they all disappeared to?

The fact that the people had disappeared between her arrival here and the commencement of the attack could only mean one thing. Zero had managed to evacuate hundreds, if not thousands, of people within a space of two hours without anyone of the Britannian Forces catching a glimpse of them. Which by itself was impossible since the movement of hundreds of people would no doubt attract attention.

"Move forwards and-"She stopped. Attention. Terrorists of Area 11 were mostly successful in their attacks because of one main factor. Even though she had considered it unlike Clovis, she hadn't paid much attention to it; depending upon the fact that Zero would not have the time to arrange all the necessary precautions to evacuate the people.

But that was the only way how Zero would be able to move all the people successfully on such short notice.

"General Noah! Alert the troops manning the old subway exits and send more reinforcements there. Zero is going to evacuate the people from there!" There was a moment of stunned silence before the Generals and other staff started scrambling around. She leaned forward in her seat, the screens showing exactly what Guildford had reported. No sign of anyone.

"Viceroy Cornelia. The troops by the exit of the tunnels have reported incoming Knightmare Frames that have the same code as them but seem to be enemy frames." The unstated sentence hung in the air. Zero managed to get his hands on one of our Knightmare frames. But instead of frowning or shouting Cornelia had a satisfied smile on her face.

"So Zero thinks that he can get away with using our weapons against us twice huh?" She sat back feeling more relaxed. "Well then he has got another thing coming."

* * *

Kallen's palms were slick with sweat as she continued forward and yet she held on tight. Her screen was filled with more than a few blue dots ahead and she knew that this would be a do-or-die battle. Viceroy Cornelia was not known to be merciful and Kallen was sure that they had orders to kill even if the terrorists surrendered.

And that only made her more determined to succeed.

She didn't need to look around to know the other six Knightmare frames that were following her. She was in a Sutherland and while she was able to handle it nearly perfectly she still felt a bit awkward, like it didn't belong to her. Shaking off the feeling she focused her attention on the fight that was going to take place.

"Are you ready Kallen?" Ohgi's tanned face lit up her screen and she nodded; one sharp nod.

And then they attacked.

There was gun fire all around as well as Slash Harkens being fired. The darkness was hindering even though light entered from the open end of the tunnel. It illuminated the Frames, giving it an unearthly glow but it was still far from fighting a battle above the ground. Yet Kallen couldn't complain since they had more of an advantage having spent most of their time as fighters in underground tunnels similar to this one. The Britannian Frames were taking a lot more damage than they were and Kallen smugly noted that they were managing to drive their opponents out of the tunnel.

"Kallen? A little help here please?" Shinji called out and she turned her attention to the younger boy's Frame where he was fighting with a Sutherland who had managed to escape his Slash Harkens. His guns were nowhere to be seen and Kallen shook her head as she rushed forward to help him. She still didn't understand why they weren't left behind with the others to escape instead of fighting with them but she guessed it had something to do with the less number of people willing to fight.

Zero asked for all the help they could get and the Yamoto Alliance had declared that Shinji and Kenji were their best pilots. As she destroyed the frame, Shinji came to stand beside her. "Thanks a lot. I would have been dead meat by now if it wasn't for you."

"Try to keep yourself safe." She instructed as more enemy frames joined the battle. It seemed like the Viceroy had realized that the area was deserted and there was only one place from which they could try escaping.

She took out three more Knightmare Frames by herself.

"We have more incoming!" Yoshida's voice called out and she redirected her attention to the opening of the tunnel. Grimacing as she noticed an even larger fleet rushing towards them, she glanced at the receiver they all had with them that would announce when they had to fall back. They couldn't do so until everyone was evacuated.

Taking another look at the amount of forces that were being sent for backup she knew that they wouldn't last long. Yet they had to last long enough for everyone to escape unscathed. She geared herself up for an intense battle but the receiver cackled to life.

"Retreat." It was a single word and yet it filled Kallen with a sense of exhilaration. They had succeeded. And the best part was that the Britannians were still unaware of it.

Kallen smirked as she started to retreat. One glance showed her that all the comrades were safe and had managed to avoid any causality that could impede their retreat. She quickly turned around and started to make her way towards the other side of the tunnel. The others too followed her.

"SHINJI!" She turned and felt a scream catch in her throat as she saw the outstretched arm of a Knightmare frame that had been lagging behind them. Most of all she noticed the huge metal beam sticking out from the middle of it after going through the cockpit. Another Knightmare Frame stood frozen near it and with a jolt Kallen realized that it had been Kenji who had screamed.

"YOU FILTHY BRITANNIANS!" Kallen automatically rushed towards Kenji to stop him from leaping towards the Britannian Forces. She locked the Frames right arm and sighed in relief as Ohgi came to the left to do the same for the other arm. The enemy was advancing towards them but moved back when Yoshida fired a barrage of bullets in their direction. Kallen knew that they had to move fast before the back-up caught up to them.

Her hands shook as she tried to refrain Kenji from jumping back to try to save his brother. The Knightmare Frame blasted and sprayed them with debris before another blast resounded and the roof fell in between them and the Britannian soldiers.

"NO! SHINJI! LET ME GO! LET ME GOO!" Kallen nodded thankfully as Ohgi joined her in restraining Kenji and forcing him to move forward. She could see the tears in Ohgi's eyes as well but he didn't break down or make any comment. Kallen herself bent her head so that Ohgi couldn't see her own eyes fill with unshed tears as Kenji's sob resounded within her cockpit.

It reminded her of the time when she had lost Naoto.

But despite the loss of a comrade they were successful in their part of the plan. The rest was up to Zero and the others.

* * *

"They are retreating?" Cornelia's relaxed posture was gone only to be replaced by confusion. "They did know they were outnumbered but-"She broke off as her eyes widened. "Did they have anyone else on foot with them?" She questioned, getting up from her chair and stalking to the screens. The Generals cowered away from her but she paid them no heed.

There was a silence before the voice came through, "No. There were no Numbers along with them." Cornelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"So they managed to trick us." She pursued her lips and looked around the room. "Or should I say that Zero managed to pull one over us without us even realizing it. He planned a distraction and like the fools we all are we actually got sidetracked by it."

"Should we search for them?"

"No need. We would only be wasting time and manpower if we try to find them. We know for a fact that Zero is still fighting as he is still relaying order to the terrorists." She turned to glare at everyone present in the room. "So let us concentrate on catching him and I will not tolerate any mistakes this time." With that she returned back to her position on the chair as she kept an eye on all the screens for any signs of Zero.

The battle continued for some more time as one by one the terrorist units were destroyed. "Pull back all the troops." Cornelia ordered.

"What? But we can win."

"Didn't I already inform everyone that the objective is to capture Zero and not killing off the terrorists? Without Zero they will fall themselves."

They nodded and Cornelia traced the soldiers that were all making their way behind the perimeter. She was sure of the fact that Zero was arrogant enough to sneak in as one of her own soldier and try to kill her. She still didn't understand how he had gotten past all the guards who were protecting Clovis but she was sure that he was sure to try it again.

And that was when they would capture him.

"Confirm the identities of all the soldiers." She sat back, feeling a vindictive pleasure fill her at the thought of capturing Zero.

She would get her revenge.

* * *

The man was nothing remarkable and Cornelia knew with just a glance that he wasn't Zero. But that didn't mean he wasn't working for the terrorist. Or else why would he refuse to open up the cockpit and when forced, request an audience with her? But he still looked like a Britannian and was also dressed in the standard flight suit.

"He is one of our men." She glanced sharply at the soldier who had spoken. She looked more closely at the man but his face seemed strangely blank. Like he had no thoughts if his own.

"Who are you? Do you work for Zero?" She snapped, walking down towards the man. The soldiers around tensed as she came closer to him and she resisted the urge to snort. She was the Queen of the Battlefield; she could handle herself better than any of these imbeciles. Guilford stood near her yet didn't try to stop her. He knew her better than that.

The man didn't seem even a little bit intimidated and it irked her. She had yet to see a terrorist who either didn't beg for their life or remain arrogant until they were killed. But this man was just blank. He had no emotions on his face and didn't seem to care what was going to happen to him. Instead of responding to her he put her hands in his pocket; she saw all the soldiers tensing and getting ready to shoot if he pulled out a weapon but he merely removed a disc from his pocket. She frowned as he handed the disc to her.

Hesitating for a few moments, she plucked the disc out of his hands.

And suddenly, just as she took the disc from his hands, he turned around towards the nearest soldier and snatched the gun out of his hand. Before any of them could make any move he put the gun to his head and shot himself.

All of them stood shocked as his body fell to the side. The soldiers standing beside him stumbled back a few steps as Cornelia stared at the blood seeping on the floor from his wound.

"Play this disc." She saw the others look at her in horror and she knew that they were thinking about how callous she was being but she knew that this wasn't the time to be wasted. The man was already dead; an unfortunate loss since they couldn't gather any information from him, but she was sure that there may be something in the disc.

Her men took the disc from her and inserted it.

Zero appeared on the screen.

"Viceroy Cornelia!" She gritted her teeth when she noticed the original Area 11 flag in the background. The nerve of the man.

"I am rather insulted to think that you expected me to fall into your blatantly laid trap so easily." Zero's distorted voice carried all over the control room. "On the other hand I am honored to have the attention of the Viceroy of Area 11 on me." He executed a small bow.

"I am sure that you are curious about who I am." Cornelia could imagine the mocking smirk on his face despite being unaware of how he looked like. "But unfortunately this isn't the time for me to reveal myself." There was a short moment of silence. "You love your siblings don't you Viceroy Cornelia?" Cornelia felt her hair on her arms raise.

She felt Guilford shifting from where he was standing beside her. "Seeing how you strive to keep your sister Princess Euphemia safe and you try to avenge Prince Clovis death." Zero tilted his head. "And let us not forget Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia whose death sealed your hatred for Area 11." Cornelia took a step back and she was sure that her shock was displayed on her face. It was only Guilford's steadying touch on her arm that kept her from stumbling back few more steps.

Catching hold of herself, she straightened up and glared at the screen. "It is often assumed without a doubt that anyone who rebels against the unjust system of the Britannian government must be part of the Areas. And I don't refute this fact. But this may just be one of the few rare cases." Zero put a hand on his chest. "I, Zero, a pure bred Britannian by birth, declare war against the Holy Empire of Britannia." The hand fell to his side as he leaned forward. "And I welcome you to try to stop me."

The screen blanked out as everyone stood frozen in shock.

If what Zero declared was true, then they would have a bigger problem on their hands than they initially anticipated.

* * *

"Thank you for helping me today." Lelouch glanced at CC who shrugged as she sat on his bed eating Pizza. He wrinkled his nose at the familiar Pizza hut box and sighed when he realized that his room was going to smell like cheese and Nunnally would probably end up being suspicious.

"I didn't expect you to be having such an ingenious plan in place beforehand." CC commented lightly chewing on her slice thoughtfully. Her golden eyes bored into Lelouch's back as he turned back to the homework he was supposed to be completing for class.

He had gotten too used to her to be really bothered by her gaze but still answered, "I am not stupid enough to walk into her trap." _This time_, Lelouch mentally added. He admitted that he had become rather overconfident in the previous timeline that he underestimated his elder sister, but he now knew what she was capable of now. She was the one who had initially found the geass Order without any help after all.

"But you were stupid enough to depend on the fact that I may turn up to save you hence creating an escape route for the people."

"I knew you wouldn't let me die and the only route that would be mostly clear was the sewer system." He smirked. "It wasn't a hard guess to make." CC had arrived in time through the sewer system and he had managed to get one of the recruits to explain what he was planning to do. Luckily she had not worn her Zero costume beforehand nor did she ask any questions and helped everyone to escape. It helped that she had tied up the men guarding the entrance after knocking them unconscious.

"What message did you leave in the disc anyways?" CC questioned.

"That's for me to know and you never to find out." He smirked without turning to face her and he could imagine her intrigued expression.

"Whatever. I don't care what you do as long as you fulfill the contract." He heard her flop back on the bed and bent his head to hide his smile.

He had plans to fulfill the wishes of everyone he cared about in this life. And he was going to make sure that nothing will stand in his way.

**Author Notes:****Saitama Ghetto scene is done! This dragged on longer than I thought it would. Anyways a few questions:**

**1) Are there any questions about the canon do you want to be answered in this fic?**

**2) Any specific character interactions you want to witness?**

**3) What do you think about SuzakuxShirley?**

**4) Any suggestions?**

**Review Replies:**

**A friend, god of all, Saint Sita, nahte123456, Above The Winter Moonlight, Titanfire999, guest, chimera629, Littlest1:****Thanks for the review!**

**Shiki Shiori:****Because I see no need for him to deviate from canon this early. His main objective is to create a peaceful world with as little casualties as possible. So he will change his plans as the story progresses. Thanks for the review!**

**PinkKitty2713:****No, she isn't going to die so soon. I have plans for her yet. But who knows what may happen later. Thanks for the review!**


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